Shipwrecks and the Bounty of the Sea

by David Cressy

Overview

Shipwrecks and the Bounty of the Sea is a work of social history examining community relationships, law, and seafaring over the long early modern period. It explores the politics of the coastline, the economy of scavenging, and the law of 'wreck of the sea' from the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth I to the end of the reign of George II. England's coastlines were heavily trafficked by naval and commercial shipping, but an unfortunate percentage was cast away or lost.

Shipwrecks were disasters for merchants and mariners, but opportunities for shore dwellers. As the proverb said, it was an ill wind that blew nobody any good. Lords of manors, local officials, officers of the Admiralty, and coastal commoners competed for maritime cargoes and the windfall of wreckage, which they regarded as providential godsends or entitlements by right. A varied haul of commodities, wines, furnishings, and bullion came ashore, much of it claimed by the crown. The people engaged in salvaging these wrecks came to be called 'wreckers', and gained a reputation as violent and barbarous plunderers. Close attention to statements of witnesses and reports of survivors shows this image to be largely undeserved. Dramatic evidence from previously unexplored manuscript sources reveals coastal communities in action, collaborating as well as competing, as they harvested the bounty of the sea.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192863393
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/19/2022
Pages:	326
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 6.50(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

David Cressy, George III Professor of British History and Humanities Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Ohio State University

Born and educated in England, David Cressy has made his career in the United States as an historian of early modern Britain. He taught in the Claremont Colleges, California State University Long Beach, and the Ohio State University before retiring to write and travel. When not in British archives and libraries he may be found exploring the beaches and deserts of the American West.

Table of Contents

Introduction1. Ships at Risk2. The Perils of the Sea3. Wreccum Maris: The Law of 'Wreck of the Sea'4. The Barbarous Country People5. The Great Profit of the Lords of Manors6. The Lord Admiral's Droits and His Majesty's Profit7. Shipwreck Tales from Sea and Shore8. The Bounty of the Golden Grape9. Mariners in Distress10. Material Bounty Brought Ashore11. Deep Recovery12. Eighteenth-Century Wrecking RevisitedAppendix: Two Centuries of Shipwrecks

Editorial Reviews

"David Cressy, a historian of early modern Britain, wants to rescue these customs from such condescension. He argues that salvaging goods from wrecked ships formed part of the 'moral economy' of maritime communities, borrowing E.P. Thompson's famous explanation for early modern food riots." — Tom Johnson, London Review of Books

"There are already a number of scientific writings from various disciplines that deal with shipwrecking. Few, however, address the social and legal implications of such events, further activities they prompted, and the interactions among the groups involved. Cressy shows more clearly than previous studies, a transition to a different phase, with new actors and conditions on the coast than those at sea." — Michael W. Jung, H-Net Reviews

"Shipwrecks and the Bounty of the Sea is a welcome addition to a growing field within maritime studies. For those interested in the subject, this is a very enjoyable read. While Cressy covers a wide range of topics, the target audience is more for specialists in maritime history or studies, especially those of the Elizabethan and Stuart periods. Those with an interest in Wreccum Maris, or the intersections between culture and the sea in the early modern period, will find this work of great interest." — Patrick Klinger, Virginia Military Institute, H-Net Reviews

"It's never too late to learn new stuff, even about shipwrecks. Like, for instance, I knew that things floating were flotsam; things deliberately thrown overboard were jetsam." — Dennis Simanaitis, Simanaitis Says

"David Cressy is to be congratulated on producing an empirical and very well-illustrated study of a subject too often consigned to the realms of myth, legend and exaggeration." — The Local Historian

"Shipwrecks and the Bounty of the Sea is a book of learning and erudition, and it succeeds ably in highlighting the scale of shipwrecks and salvage and their importance to the very fabric of early modern Britain. It is recommended to all those interested in understanding Britain's history as an island nation at a period when maritime trade and travel were rapidly expanding." — International Journal of Maritime History

From the Publisher