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

Since the beginning of the construction of Jersey’s harbour in the early 1700s, it has been a vital part in creating many of the industries that Jersey thrives on today, including the large finance and agriculture industries. Being an island surrounded by miles of water, the harbour was unimaginably beneficial for creating wealth in the island.

Most of this wealth was originally created by merchants who had collectively formed networks of markets across both coasts of the Atlantic ocean, from European countries such as England or Russia, all the way to countries in the newly found Americas, such as Honduras or Canada.

Canada’s fishing industry had been thriving since the discovery of the Americas, especially in the aptly named ‘Newfoundland’ on the east coast. This is because of the large cod that was abundant in the region, which soon became a commodity for the Europeans after its discovery in the 1500s.

By 1530, there was evidence to suggest that Jerseymen had been to Newfoundland, and in 1582 there was a reference to people from Jersey opening fish markets and selling fish in Newfoundland. In the year 1600, Sir Walter Raleigh obtained a Grant of Application in Newfoundland for a colony, and persuaded seamen from Jersey to set up fisheries there, which would later trade deeper into the Americas, all the way down to the Caribbean Islands. A quote from official letters at the time state, “He certainly encouraged the trade nascent between Jersey and Newfoundland”. A few Jersey families from this trading group were later named ‘master traders’, which hints at Jersey becoming a significant trader during this time. These families supposedly brought back cod fish, skins, furs, sugar and tobacco (among other items) to Jersey, which would have provided these families with a large amount of wealth.

Which ports did Jersey ships sail to and trade with?

Over the next 100 years, the industry continued to grow and more Jersey merchant families and fishermen travelled to the American coast to fish and trade. Jersey began building ships in the late 18th century thanks to the completion of South Pier in 1765, with the requirement that the ships would be build larger than fishing boats. This was so that Jerseymen could travel across the Atlantic and join the Transatlantic trade. Below is a demonstration of the trade that Jersey merchants created soon after.

This diagram provides us with a lot of information, not just about what was traded and where, but how Jersey became a hub for trade along the European coast once it had a functioning harbour. A number of significant Jersey cod merchants began trading during this time, including Charles Robin, who founded the most successful trade firm on the Gaspé coast in 1766. The diagram above is roughly what this trade looked like at its height.

What type of goods did Jersey merchants exchange for cod-fish?

Essentially, how this ‘Merchant Triangle’ worked was: the fish caught in Canada were traded with the Europeans, as well as manufactured goods and other items that were from Canada also. Merchants would then trade wine and fruits with Portugal, Spain and Italy, and various grains with countries in central Europe, such as Denmark. With the wealth that this created, the desire for luxury furniture in the island grew also, and mahogany wood from Honduras was brought over to Jersey, which was then used to create household items such as wardrobes and stair railings.

To what extent, 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)?