British Mercantile Trade Statistics, 1662–1809 - Contextual Essays

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British Mercantile Trade Statistics, 1662–1809

Contextual Essay

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British Mercantile Trade and the Royal Navy During the Long Eighteenth Century

Early in the eighteenth century, Lord Haversham stood up in Parliament and made a bold proclamation about the importance of maritime trade to Britain: Your trade is the mother and nurse of your seamen; your seamen are the life of your... Read more →

James Davey

Published 10th January, 2025

A painting of John Wood Approaching Bombay, c1850. There is a large ship with sails set against a pink sky.

Age of Empires: British Overseas Trade from Queen Elizabeth I to King George III

Seventeenth Century: The Rise of Distant Trade A visitor to the British Isles in the year 1600 would not have found major centres of global trade to rival the bustling commercial hubs of Asia, such as Macao, Surat, Nagasaki, Malacca, or... Read more →

Pete Maw

Published 8th January, 2025

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A painting showing West Indiamen alongside Bristol docks on the Avon. The ship in the foreground on the left is being unloaded with timber from America. Some of the unloaded timber floats on the water. A man can be seen standing on a pile of floating planks as one of them is being lowered down from the ship. A figure leans over the stern to manage the process. The ship may be having her mast stepped. There is another pile of wooden planks floating on the starboard side of the ship. Two men in a rowing boat are using a pole and hook to catch a smaller pile of planks floating in the foreground on the right. The barge on the right is a Severn trow which conveyed a lot of cargo up and down the river, and, as in this painting, would have brought iron down the Severn.

Licensed to access Bristol Shipping Records: Imports and Exports, 1770–1917

1770 1917

Licensed to access Liverpool Shipping Records: Imports and Exports, 1820–1900

1820 1860

Two ships sail on very choppy waters. One ship is closer to the foreground, while one is in the background, sailing into the light.

Licensed to access Power and Profit: British Colonial Trade in America and the Caribbean, 1678–1825

1678 1825

A well-dressed plantation owner and family visiting the slave quarters in Virginia

Licensed to access Scottish Trade with Africa and the West Indies in the Early 18th century, 1694–1709

1694 1709