French Shackles From The 18th Century...

They had been sleeping in an attic in Nantes since the 18th century. … People tried to forget the slave-trading past… euphemistically called the ebony merchants. How many unfortunate souls, forcibly embarked from the coasts of Guinea to the Americas, tried to break free? No one will ever know, but the wear and tear on these irons speaks volumes. Irons forged, sometimes right there on the ship… with the King's blessing. A long iron bar was passed through the individual rings to restrain the slaves lying on the bunks at the bottom of the hold.