Trading routes which sowed seeds for British Empire mapped out

HISTORIANS HAVE mapped the trading routes of medieval shipping which helped “sow the seeds of the British maritime empire”.

More than 50,000 ship movements from 600 ports around England, Wales and the Channel Islands dating between 1400 and 1580 have been compiled for the interactive map and database. The routes include ports on Yorkshire’s coast, including Whitby, Scarborough and Hull.

Researchers at the University of Southampton found most shipping at the time was done between local ports rather than going abroad, with traders opting for ships rather than using the country’s mud-track roads.

Principle investigator Dr Craig Lambert said: “Our website and maps give a fascinating insight into the structure of shipping in England and Wales during what was a period of fundamental importance to our history; a time when the seeds of maritime empire were sown.

“At the start of the late medieval and Tudor period, English shippers were mainly coastal traders, but by the end, Sir Francis Drake had set out on his voyage of circumnavigation and Walter Raleigh was close to planting England’s first settlers on Roanoke Island in North America.”

He added: “The sea and rivers were vital to trade, much as our motorways and railways are today. Merchant ships made short journeys inland by river, sailing between cities and towns.”

Dr Lambert, assisted by Dr Gary Baker, inputted much of the information by hand, painstakingly transferring information about ships’ masters, tonnage, manpower and destinations, from original documents.

The map can be found at www. medievalandtudorships.org.