Kent and Europe, 1450-1640: merchants, mariners, shipping and defence

Blackmore, Robert and Lambert, Craig (eds.) (2025) Kent and Europe, 1450-1640: merchants, mariners, shipping and defence , Woodbridge. Boydell & Brewer, 198pp.

Abstract

Kent is surrounded by water on three sides, close to both the European continent and London: geography that has influenced those who have lived there in countless ways. This book explores their history in this setting from the mid-fifteenth to mid-seventeenth centuries, emphasising Kent’s deep connection with Europe. Its chapters, which draw on a wide range of local and national sources, primarily centre on maritime affairs, reflecting the historical and ongoing significance of the sea to the region’s inhabitants. These include a bold new description of Kent at the end of the Middle Ages, and a reconstruction of the county’s early modern maritime trade, including its merchants, both native and foreign, the commodities traded, as well as the impact of migration. An in-depth study also provides quantitative analyses of shipping and of the lives and careers of the shipboard community. Furthermore, there is a detailed examination of the military community of Kent, with a particular focus on the county’s coastal fortifications and a chapter on predatory maritime activities in adjacent waters. Overall, the book puts forward deep research that connects Kent’s economy, society, and politics with its environs over a long period. As such, it exemplifies how future county studies should be composed.

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Contributors

Editor: Craig Lambert

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