Jersey’s Maritime History

Task 1

What was the involvement of Jersey mariners in the Canadian cod-fisheries and the Transatlantic carrying trade?

By the beginning of the 16th century, Basque fishermen were travelling to the Canada to fish and by 1580, around 10,000 European fishermen were making the transatlantic voyage to the area each year to fish for cod. Channel Island fishermen were among these fishermen and by the 1750s they had set up lucrative trade routes between Canada, Europe and America, establishing bases on the Gaspé Coast where they could salt and prepare the cod.

Which ports did Jersey ships sail to and trade with?

They sailed to Newfoundland and Gaspe coast and traded goods with Canada, Europe, America, British colonies in the West Indies, later Brazil, Cape Cod Castle on the Gold Coast of Ghana

What type of goods did Jersey merchants exchange for codfish?

They traded cod for plantation goods, such as sugar, molasses, rum, cotton, coffee and tobacco. They had also traded the cod for slaves.

To what extend, has the island of Jersey benefitted from its constitutional relationship with Britain and the legacies of colonialism based on a slave plantation economy during the first Industrial Revolution (1760-1840)?

Jersey had severely benefited from slave plantation economy, they were able to trade their Cod to America in exchange for valuable goods such as tobacco and sugar which they were able to sell on to different countries in Europe and Britain which made them a lot of profit that allowed them to expand ship production.

Task 2

Provide a short history of the development of St Helier harbour (1830s – 2020s) and produce a mood-board of images.

The harbour was first constructed in the early 19th century.
The harbour was then upgraded in 1790.
In 1814, roads were constructed as Commercial Buildings and Le Quai des Marchands to connect the harbours to the town.
In 1832, construction was finished on the Esplanade and its sea wall.
In 1837 there was an order to construct two new piers, the Victoria and Albert Piers.

Old plans for renewing the harbour