Mary Prince, a former slave, enabling her to write her autobiography describing her experiences under slavery in the West Indies. This book caused a sensation, partly arising from libel actions disputing its accuracy, and went into many editions. He also published African Sketches and books of poems, such as Ephemerides. As Secretary to the Anti-Slavery Society he helped steer the organisation towards its eventual success; in 1834, with a widening of the electoral franchise, the Reformed British Parliament passed legislation to bring an end to slavery in the British dominions – the aim of Pringle's Society. Pringle signed the Society's notice to set aside 1 August 1834 as a religious thanksgiving for the passing of the Act. However, the legislation did not come into effect until August 1838, and Thomas Pringle was unable to witness this moment; he had died from tuberculosis in December 1834 at the age of 45. In his memory, Josiah Conder's Biographical Sketch of the Late Thomas Pringle (1835) was published, sold bound together with Thomas Pringle's own Narrative of a Residence in South Africa (1834). His remains were interred in Bunhill Fields, where he was commemorated with a memorial stone bearing an elegant inscription by William Kennedy. In 1970, however, his remains were brought to South Africa, to the church near the farm his family owned in the Baviaans Valley, and re-interred there. Books Pringle, Thomas – Narrative of A Residence in South Africa 2 vols. Doppler Press (1834; 1986 reprint) Meihuizen, Nicholas – Ordering Empire: The Poetry of Camões, Pringle and Campbell. Peter Lang (2007) Vigne, Randolph (ed.) – The South African Letters of Thomas Pringle. Van Riebeeck Society (2011) Vigne, Randolph – Thomas Pringle: South African Pioneer, Poet & Abolitionist. James Currey (2012) Sources ClanPringle.org.uk Author and Book Info.com Electric Scotland Notes References External links 1789 births 1834 deaths Burials at Bunhill Fields 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Scottish abolitionists Scottish poets 1820 Settlers People educated at Kelso High School, Scotland Tuberculosis deaths in England