Bristol Merchant Database: Back to Living History! No 2
This database was prepared and used in the research for Living History! series Book No. 2 – 18th century Slaves and Merchant Oligarchy It was inappropriate to include this data in that book, but readers are directed here if they wish to examine it.
Care needs to be applied in ascribing motives or characteristics to a generic ‘merchant’, because
- the Society of Merchant Ventuers, or SMV, merchants performed three roles: factor, wholesaler and shipowner.
- Bristol sugar merchants had also trifurcated into planters, shipowners or sugar processors. All six groups called themselves merchants.
- The Bristol Burgess Books for 1740-1825 show a number of its listings as ‘Merchant Venturers’, or simply ‘Merchants’, but there were also ‘Merchant Taylors’ and ‘Wine Merchants’ and it is evident that those listed as ‘Esquires’, ‘Gentlemen’ or ‘Yeomen’ might also operate as merchants.
The premise of the book is that, in this time period, there emerged an oligarchy of individuals who were SMV members and at the same time Bristol councillors, aldermen and civic officers, that ‘practically repudiated its duties while tenaciously asserting its rights’. Bristol’s mercantile elite presided over a ‘gradual strangulation of the port’s commercial life’, and the ‘connection between the Corporation and the Society effectively removed any threat that the public interest would be served.’
So here for downloading is an MS Excel spreadsheet to providing the base data that was used for the book and its assumptions.
Enjoy!
Bob Denton
 | Living History! series – No. 2 – 18th century – Slaves and Merchant Oligarchy – Bristol’s relative decline during industrialisation ASIN: B0H628RRY4 More information on No. 2 Amazon Kindle locations: UK – USA – Germany – France – Spain Italy – Netherlands – Japan – Brazil – Canada Mexico – Australia – India |
Bristol Merchant Database: Back to Living History! No 2
