Cass Business School reveals new name due to concern over slavery links

‘We believe we now have a name that reflects who we are and the values we hold,’ dean says

City, University of London has announced a new name for the Cass Business School (Google Maps)

A London university has renamed its business school in a move away from its ties to a merchant with links to the slave trade.

City, University of London said what was formerly the Cass Business School will be known as the Bayes Business School from the start of the next academic year.

Last summer, the school said it would drop Sir John Cass, a 17th and 18th century politician, merchant and philanthropist, from its name after it found out some of his wealth was derived from links to the slave trade.

After its new name was announced on Wednesday, Ms Julia Palca, the chair of the university’s council, said “continued use” of his name “would have honoured someone whose wealth was augmented from the exploitation of slavery”.

She said this would have been “wholly incompatible with our values of diversity and inclusion”.

The school will instead be named after Thomas Baynes, a nonconformist theologian and mathematician from the 18th century, whose grave sits opposite the school in central London.

“Bayes’ theorem suggests that we get closer to the truth by constantly updating our beliefs in proportion to the weight of new evidence,” City, University of London said, announcing it had settled on a new name for its business school.

“It is this idea – not only the person – that is the motivation behind adopting this name,” it said in a statement on its website.

It will be known as the Business School (formerly Cass) until its new name launches in September.

Professor Paolo Volpin, who is dean at the school, said: “In Bayes Business School, we believe we now have a name that reflects who we are and the values we hold.”

Thousands of staff, students and alumni contributed to a consultation over a new name after it was decided Cass would be dropped, he said.

Earlier this year, it was announced a statue of Cass would be removed from a site in central London alongside one of 18th century London lord mayor William Beckford, due to both men obtaining their wealth through the slave trade.

It comes after a statue to Edward Colston, a British slave trader, was pulled down by protesters in Bristol last summer during a Black Lives Matter protest in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

Other statues of historical figures have been called into question across the country, although a minister recently revealed government plans to make it more difficult to take down controversial statues.