The legal problems that were most likely to arise in England were if a slave were to escape in transit, or if a slave-owner from the colonies brought over a slave and expected to continue exercising his power to prevent the slave from leaving his service. Increasing numbers of slaves were brought into England in the 18th century, and this may help to explain the growing awareness of the problems presented by the existence of slavery. Quite apart from the moral considerations, there was an obvious conflict between defining property in slaves and an alternative English tradition of freedom protected by habeas corpus.
The legal issues most likely to arise in England involved a slave escaping during transport or if a colonial slave owner brought a slave into England and attempted to maintain control over the slave's service. The growing number of slaves arriving in England in the 18th century may have contributed to heightened awareness of the challenges posed by slavery.  Beyond moral concerns, there was a clash between defining property rights in slaves and an English tradition emphasizing freedom protected by habeas corpus.