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Greenwich Academic Literature Archive (GALA) – the University of Greenwich open access repository http://gala.gre.ac.uk __________________________________________________________________________________________ Citation: Skidmore, Peter Fletcher (2009) The maritime economy of north west England in the later eighteenth century. PhD thesis, University of Greenwich. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Please note that the full text version provided on GALA is the final published version awarded by the university. “I certify that this work has not been accepted in substance for any degree, and is not concurrently being submitted for any degree other than that of (name of research degree) being studied at the University of Greenwich. I also declare that this work is the result of my own investigations except where otherwise identified by references and that I have not plagiarised the work of others”. Skidmore, Peter Fletcher (2009) The maritime economy of north west England in the later eighteenth century. ##thesis _type## , ##institution## Available at: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/5655/ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Contact: [email protected] THE MARITIME ECONOMY OF NORTH WEST ENGLAND IN THE LATER EIGHTEENTH CENTURY PETER FLETCHER SKIDMORE A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Greenwich for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2009 DECLARATION I certify that this work has not been accepted in substance for any degree, and is not concurrently being submitted for any degree other than that of Doctor of Philosophy being studied at the University of Greenwich. I also declare that this work is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise identified by references and that I have not plagiarised another's work. Peter F Skidmore Date Student o Professor Sarah Palmer Date Supervisor IS Professor Jane Longmore Date Supervisor ACKNOWLEGEMENTS The research work for this thesis was by far the most interesting part of the project, particularly meeting and benefitting from the knowledge and experience of the many archivists and search room assistants in Record Offices from Carlisle to Chester and custodians of local history collections in the public libraries. The most arduous part was entering the copious data gathered into data bases, analysing and presenting the results in a format that could be readily understood. The work was done from a base in Lancaster and in the process of compiling the text, charts and illustrations I received particular assistance from Ken Harrison, Assistant Librarian at Lancaster University, who contributed invaluable information on the maps of the region and knowhow on editing photographic images and from Simon Chew of the Geography Department, who provided the electronic map backgrounds. My enthusiasm for the project was sustained by the many members of the maritime history community who offered advice and encouragement, particularly in the informal sessions after the fortnightly seminars at King's College and at the many conferences that they support, particularly the annual New Researcher's Conference. My last and most enduring thanks, however, must be to my two supervisors, Sarah Palmer and Jane Longmore, who throughout the work devoted many hours to reading my text and offering valuable advice on content and presentation, but most valuably gave me the confidence to believe that I could actually finish the work and produce a meaningful outcome from the vast quantity of data I had gathered. ABSTRACT Maritime historians have not followed the trend set by other disciplines towards regional studies which has become an established practice over the past ten years. Some excellent work has been done on individual ports but no one has attempted to establish the relationship between sea trade and the land based economy on a regional basis. This thesis corrects the omission for the region of the North West of England. A study of the coastwise trade and the trade with Ireland in the late eighteenth century, it provides evidence which argues for the existence of an integrated maritime economy in the Irish Sea region in the period 1750- 1810. Altogether, it demonstrates that a complex regional trade existed alongside increasing overseas trade. The sources to identify coastal trading activity in this period are scarce. With few exceptions, records of the King's Remembrancer Exchequer Port Books are no longer available while the run of records of the Customs Bills of Entry has not started. One of the challenges, therefore, was to identify alternative sources from which the necessary infornlation could be drawn. Shipping lists published in local newspapers were the principal source used. Other key sources included trade directories, trade reports and business papers. The study of ownership uses the shipping registers from 1786 and examines ownership and relationships with the local economies in greater detail than has been undertaken previously. Research into local sources assisted in identifying the specific business interests of owners, particularly those designated as 'merchant' and' gentleman' in the registers. A key finding of the ownership study is that a complex shipping investment pattern existed within the region related to the characteristics of the local economies. Case studies based on surviving business records give insight into the business practices underpinning regional maritime commerce, particularly the use of infornlation networks, methods of payment and the roles of the merchants. The importance of trust in business relationships is the most prominent characteristic to emerge from these case studies. iv CONTENTS DECLARATION .....................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEGEMENTS...................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT............................................................................................................iv CONTENTS............................................................................................................. v LIST OF TABLES FIGURES AND MAPS...........................................................vi ABBREVIATIONS.................................................................................................ix CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION........................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 - THE CONTEXT OF THE MARITIME ECONOMY IN THE NORTH WEST REGION......................................................................................37 CHAPTER 3 - PATTERNS OF SHIPOWNING IN THE NORTH WEST REGION.................................................................................................................75 CHAPTER 4 - OWNERS AND VESSELS......................................................... 107 CHAPTER 5 - COMMODITY FLOWS, VESSELS AND OWNERS ............... 144 CHAPTER 6 - THE BUSINESS OF COASTAL SHIPPING............................. 199 CHAPTER 7 - CONCLUSIONS .........................................................................238 APPENDIX 1 - CHARACTERISTICS OF VESSELS IN EACH PORT...........245 APPENDIX 2 - CHARTS OF OWNERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS ................248 APPENDIX 3 - VOYAGES OF THE ACTIVE 1796-1808.................................270 APPENDIX 4 - ACTIVE VOYAGES 1796-1808 ROUTES AND CARGOES WITH SENDERS AND RECEIVERS ................................................................274 BIBLIOGRAPHY...............................................................................................276 v LIST OF TABLES FIGURES AND MAPS Tables Table 2.1 - Percentage rates of natural increase and migration in the North West 1781-1800...............................................................................................................39 Table 2.2 - Populations in the North West Counties in 1801 .................................39 Table 3.1 - Tonnages of vessels in the overseas and coastal trade belonging to each port in the North West............................................................................................76 Table 3.2 - Number of vessels registered in the North West Ports 1786-95..........76 Table 3.3 - Number of farmers and yeomen investing in the North West ports with vessel types 1786-95 ..............................................................................................84 Table 3.4 - Ownership by Women in the North West Ports, 1786-95 ................. 103 Table 4.1 - Vessels owned by the Clare family, coal merchants of Warrington.. 140 Table 5.1 - Coastal Entries into Carlisle 1802-4.................................................. 146 Table 5.2 - Coastal Clearances from Carlisle 1802-4 ..........................................148 Table 5.3 - Whitehaven entries and clearances in the Irish and coasting trade with ports having two or more entries or clearances.................................................... 154 Table 5.4 - Examples of triangular trade for Whitehaven 6 January - 10 March 1801...................................................................................................................... 156 Table 5.5 - Examples of potential quadrilateral trade for Whitehaven 6 January - 10 March 1801 .....................................................................................................156 Table 5.6 - Workington entries and clearances in the Irish and coasting trade, with ports

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