Willian Wilberforce and Olaudah Equiano

In the interest of previosly mentioned research on the burial site of William Wilberforce at Westminster Abbey I found out that Wilberforce had originally chosen a vault at Stoke Newington. (A district in the London Borough of Hackney) However, Parliament had made a formal demand to his sons for his interment at Westminster Abbey (North Transept) He is buried near his good friend and former Prime Minister William Pitt. (More on Wilberforce later)

www.orwin.karoo.net/people/dead/People/wilberforce.html

Olaudah Equiano, a former slave who helped influence Parliament to abolish the slave trade is buried in Stoke Newington. Equiano was lucky enough (besides being captured and traded several times) to eventually free himself from slavery. He was able to read and write and he possessed seaman skills which made him undesirable to slave traders. He was bought by Robert King from Philadelphia who wanted him to work his shipping routes and in his stores and offered him a chance to buy his freedom. When he made enough money he was able to buy his freedom for the exact price that King had paid for him. King taught him further reading and writing, taught him Christianity, and allowed him to engage in trading. Once he bought his freedom he returned to England to join William Wilberforce in his crusade to end the slave trade in England.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/olaudah_equiano