A Liverpool election ticket. Depicted on the obverse is a cormorant and the legend: 'LIVERPOOL BE FREE'. On the reverse is thee inscription: 'T. MORISON ONE OF THE INDEPENDENT MINORITY 738 WHO VOTED FOR THOS. LEYLAND ESQ AT THE LIVERPOOL ELECTION 1816'.

Thomas Leyland was born in Yorkshire and moved to Liverpool in 1770. Having won £20,000 on the lottery he married his employer's daughter and ploughed the proceeds of his win into slave trading. By 1802 this business had become so successful that he became partner in the bank of Clark and Roscoe and after the bankruptcy of this enterprise, established his own bank. In 1803 his slave ship, the 'Enterprise', carried 392 slaves which were sold at an average of £62 6s. 6d. per head.