Dr. Johnathan Harlow, Professor Johnathan Barry and Dr Michael Whitfield have been investigating what is believed to be a leg iron, on display at the Yale Center for British Art. The iron is engraved with the words ‘Deverall, Cornstreet Bristoll, 1733’. This article explores the provenance of the leg iron to shed light on the activities of the Deverall family, and the presence of enslaved Africans in Bristol.