British Online Archives

Containing over 28,000 images, Bristol Shipping Records: Imports and Exports, 1770–1917 documents nearly 150 years of imports and exports to and from the port city of Bristol. The prosperity of the city during this period was built on its maritime success as one of Britain's major ports. Bristol was heavily involved in various imperial trade networks, including those based upon cotton, indigo, rice, rum, sugar, and tobacco. Many of the goods traded in Bristol were derived from the labour of enslaved people. Indeed, Bristol and its merchants were major players in the transatlantic slave trade, and much of the city’s wealth and development relied on enslavement and this triangular trade.

This collection contains Bristol Presentments, bills of entry derived from the reports and manifests of ships that docked in Bristol. These documents offer unique insights into British maritime history and the goods traded in Bristol from 1770 to 1917. This collection provides students and researchers with an overview of global trade networks and their interaction with Bristol, including the city’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. This collection also details how Bristol’s shipping was affected by the Slave Trade Act (1807), which prohibited the trade of enslaved people throughout the British empire.

Shipping was the lifeblood of the Atlantic economy . . . shipping patterns were the arteries through which the merchants and commodities of the North Atlantic trading world were drawn together into an international commercial network.

Kenneth Morgan, “Shipping Patterns and the Atlantic Trade of Bristol, 1749–1770”, The William and Mary Quarterly 46, no. 3 (1989): 506.

Insights

Presentments are printed records of imports and exports. They were published twice weekly, giving a comprehensive overview of maritime trade in Bristol. The documents contain detailed information, such as the names of ships, their date of arrival and departure, where they had arrived from, and where they were embarked for. These sources likewise list the captain of each vessel, the ship's tonnage, details regarding cargo, and the names of the people and companies associated with each shipment onboard.

The sources in this collection provide a detailed overview of the nature and development of Britain’s trade routes and relationships. They also highlight how trading priorities changed over time, particularly during the industrial revolution when Britain began exporting large volumes of goods manufactured using new technologies and processes. Crucially, the documents also illustrate how Britain’s commercial interests and networks laid the foundations for a vast, global empire.

The documents in this collection detail key imports and exports, many associated with the transatlantic slave trade. For example, sugar and elephant teeth were shipped to Britain from Jamaica; cotton and ginger from Barbados; bacon, lard, and canned meats from New York; and wine, almonds, and vegetable oil from France. Meanwhile, Britain exported tobacco, brandy, and sherry to Africa; coal, books, and paint to Canada; whilst leather and machinery made their way to South America.

In the eighteenth century, Bristol became well known for its thriving industry and entrepreneurial character. The city already boasted blossoming soap, glassware, and pottery industries, as well as a reputation for first-rate shipbuilding. Bristol was also known for its metal industry, especially for the production of brass, copper, iron, lead, and zinc. A rise in transatlantic shipping catalysed Bristol’s economic success. New factories sprung up in the city, designed to process imported colonial produce, which was invariably linked to plantation slavery. As a result, industries such as tobacco processing, sugar refining, distilling, and chocolate-making flourished in the city.