Why is maritime history important?
Sailing has been essential to the advancement of civilisation throughout history since it gives people more mobility than land travel for purposes like trade, transportation, and conflict, as well as the ability to fish.
What type of goods did Jersey merchants exchange for cod-fish?
In addition to exporting codfish to Jersey, traders in cod fish also traded plantation products like sugar, molasses, rum, cotton, coffee, and tobacco to markets across America, Europe, and the United Kingdom (including Jersey). Later, these products were also traded to Brazil. In that framework, Jersey benefited from the wealth generated by the British Empire, which was built on a capitalist model of an economy centred around slavery.
What was the involvement of Jersey Jersey seamen play in the transatlantic carrying trade and the Canadian cod fisheries?
It WAS uncertain when the first Europeans arrived in Canada, but it is believed that fishermen were drawn to the north of the continent around 1497 by Italian explorer John Cabot’s accounts of “new found landes” and a sea teeming with fish. Around 1600, English fishing captains continued to record cod shoals.
Beginning in the early 16th century, Basque fisherman started visiting the area to fish, and by the year 1580, some 10,000 European fishermen were crossing the Atlantic to catch for cod.
Among them were the fishermen from Channel Islands, who by the 1750s had established profitable trade lines connecting Europe, America, and Canada. They also established facilities on the Gaspé Coast, where they could prepare and salt cod.
Which ports did Jersey ships sail to and trade with?
- Trade in Roman times
During the Roman period there was an established trade route between Alet (St Servan) and Hengistbury Head in Dorset. Guernsey was the favoured stop off point, because of the natural deep water harbour at St Peter Port, although these boats undoubtedly called in to Jersey as well. The Roman cargo boat recently raised from St Peter Port Harbour provides information on the type of vessel used on this route.
Ships became larger during the 12th century and ports began to take on a greater importance. The earliest harbours in the island were the natural havens which provided shelter from the worst of the winds and a sandy bottom on which a vessel could ground with damaging its keel. Areas such as Havre des Pas, St Brelade, St Aubin and La Rocque were used. There is mention of a Spanish ship taking on a cargo of wheat “in the harbour of St Obin”.
- 17th century harbours
A concerted effort to build harbours did not take off until the late 17th century, when work began on building a pier on the islet on which St Aubin’s fort stands. During the 18th century St Aubin’s harbour proper was constructed and work began on developing St Helier as a port, although the capital had to wait until the 19th century before it really began to develop as a port. Early 19th century, It was during the early 19th century that stone piers were built at La Rocque, Bouley Bay, Rozel and Gorey, to accommodate the oyster boats. The harbour at Gorey also took passenger traffic from Normandy.
- The mailboats
At this time the harbour of St Helier was concentrated around La Folie in The English and French harbours. At low water there was a landing stage at La Collette, to which passengers were ferried in small boats and picked up by waiting carriages and horse drawn omnibuses. With the building of the Victoria and Albert Piers in the 1840s and 1850s, passengers could arrive in a little more comfort, although the state of the tide still played an important role.
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 Island has greatly profited from its constitutional ties with Britain and the results of colonialism, especially in the period of the first Industrial Revolution (1760-1840). This partnership resulted in a stable political environment that encouraged economic growth, enabling the island to shift from a successful agricultural economy to a varied financial services and tourism industry. Merchants from Jersey participated in transatlantic trade, making money from products made by slaves like sugar and rum from the Caribbean, leading to increased local investments and better quality of life. Moreover, the colonial ties promoted cultural interactions and aided in the expansion of population, leading to a more diverse demographic on the island. Investment sourced from colonial riches continued to enhance the financial services industry in Jersey, turning it into a hub for banking and tax evasion. The connections made in history resulted in advancements in social infrastructure like education and healthcare.