Southampton’s maritime trade in the late eighteenth century

Abstract

This thesis examines the trade of Southampton in the late eighteenth century, focussing particularly on the 1770s, a period which has not hitherto been the subject of any empirical study. Through a detailed analysis of the town’s shipping patterns it provides new information and data about the patterns of Southampton’s maritime trade. The development of a database, for the first time quantifying the shipping information published in the Hampshire Chronicle, offers evidence of a complex and wide ranging trade network, which included Southampton’s neighbouring ports. The data analysis carried out for this project shows that, rather than merely a bilateral relationship with London, Britain’s overwhelmingly largest port, Southampton’s maritime trade was multifaceted, with goods imported to the port from domestic and foreign locations and transhipped to other destinations both near and far. The port saw just a small number of regular traders and most vessels called only occasionally, indicating that for many vessels Southampton served as an intermediate stop on longer journeys rather than the main destination. Southampton’s close connections with the Channel Islands were particularly important and there is evidence that the inhabitants of the islands depended on the cargoes shipped from Southampton for their daily lives. The analysis of the Hampshire Chronicle demonstrates how the wars of the late eighteenth century had an impact on the maritime trade of Southampton and on the daily lives of its inhabitants, offering opportunities for increased profits, particularly for shipowners, but also threats to both ships and seafarers.

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Identifiers

ORCID for John Mcaleer: orcid.org/0009-0008-6971-7997

ORCID for Helen Paul: orcid.org/0000-0002-4786-7192

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