marítimo - History Lab

Wine imports through the port of London, 1600-1696 (in tonnes)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:48 +0000

Throughout the 17th century, wine became one of the most important aspects of Spanish exports to England. The international wine market faced strong competition during the 17th century, so other wine-producing countries such as France and Portugal had to be taken into account, as the prohibition on importing French wines or the increase in tariffs that affected the international wine market should be noted. The port of London, at the end of the 17th century, centralised most of the country’s commercial activity, and between 1672-1681 this enclave alone collected 542,100 pounds sterling out of the 760,000 pounds sterling obtained from the rest of the British ports: between 75-90% of the legal wine imports at the end of the century were made in the Thames. Starting from figures of around 5,000 tons per year and after reaching the highest figures of the century at the end of the 1630s (30,420 tons in 1638), there was a decline which did not mean a return to the starting figures. The change occurred around 1640, reflecting a situation of internal instability in the country, taking into account the increase in taxation on wine that led to the prohibition of French wine imports during the confrontation with Louis XIV.

The post Wine imports through the port of London, 1600-1696 (in tonnes) first appeared on History Lab.

Imports of wine through the port of London by provenance, 1675-1696 (tonnes)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:48 +0000

Throughout the 17th century, wine became one of the most important aspects of Spanish exports to England. The international wine market faced strong competition during the 17th century, so other wine-producing countries such as France and Portugal had to be taken into account, as the prohibition on importing French wines or the increase in tariffs that affected the international wine market should be noted. The port of London, at the end of the 17th century, centralised most of the country’s commercial activity, and between 1672-1681, it alone collected 542,100 pounds sterling out of the 760,000 pounds sterling obtained from the rest of the British ports: between 75-90% of the legal wine imports at the end of the century were made in the Thames. The confrontation between France and England (1679-1685 and 1689-1696), together with the prohibitions on importing French wine, was a decisive factor since, in the mid-1670s, two thirds of the wine arriving in London came from France. Therefore, this situation meant an opening and a benefit for Portuguese and Spanish wines. At the end of the Third Anglo-Dutch War and the Franco-Dutch War, at the end of the 1670s and the beginning of the 1680s, Rhenish wines were the only ones whose natural outlet was through Dutch ports, and they were of some importance.

The post Imports of wine through the port of London by provenance, 1675-1696 (tonnes) first appeared on History Lab.

Origin of Spanish wine landed in London, 1664-1697 (in tonnes and %)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:02 +0000

Throughout the 17th century, wine became one of the most important aspects of Spanish exports to England. The international wine market faced strong competition during the 17th century, so other wine-producing countries such as France and Portugal had to be taken into account, as the ban on importing French wines or the increase in tariffs that affected the international wine market should be noted. When asked about the origin of the Spanish wines that landed in London in the second half of the 17th century, Canary Island wine accounted for 56.27% of all Spanish wine registered in the port of London. The fall in malvasia imports in 1666 was the main explanation for the drop in Spanish wine imports in 1664 to 2,016. The decline was due to the confrontation that took place between local producers and the English merchants who controlled both the origin and destination of wine exports from the archipelago. This confrontation led to the episode known as the wine spill on 2-3 July 1666. In response, the British government banned the import of Canary Island wine on 12 November of that year, until it was restored the following year. Although Malaga appears as the second most important area with 17.31% of the total amount of wine arriving in London between 1664-1697, what is relevant in the case of Malaga is the decline in wine exports to England, both in relative and absolute terms in the last third of the 16th century: the 3,300 tons of wine that arrived in London from Malaga in 1664 were reduced to 460 tons between 1694-1697. Cadiz, however, has figures that are difficult to interpret due to the strong fluctuations it shows: compared to an annual average of 445 tons in 1666-1668, in 1694-97 it reached quantities close to 1,000 tons.

The post Origin of Spanish wine landed in London, 1664-1697 (in tonnes and %) first appeared on History Lab.

Regional origin of Spanish wines arriving in London (%)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:02 +0000

The post Regional origin of Spanish wines arriving in London (%) first appeared on History Lab.

Ships entering Barcelona carrying American cotton, 1781-1799 (in pounds)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:57 +0000

The growth of Spanish trade through the American trade at the end of the 18th century played an important role in the beginnings of the Catalan cotton industry. Two of the main points on the peninsula were the main points for the entry and re-export of American goods: Barcelona and Cadiz, with the latter enclave assuming a predominant position between 1760 and 1770, as in 1790 the city of Cadiz took the lead until 1796. The year 1787 is considered a year of commercial and industrial paralysis as Catalonia experienced an economic crisis, which had an impact on cotton imports. However, the recovery and leadership in cotton imports reached its peak in 1793 when Barcelona received a total of 27 ships with American cotton, as well as in 1784 and 1791, years in which several large shipments were received. On the other hand, the right-hand column shows the number of Catalan ships involved in importing American cotton. In this sense, the Catalan shippers established an autonomous stake in the colonial trade.

The post Ships entering Barcelona carrying American cotton, 1781-1799 (in pounds) first appeared on History Lab.

Exports of raw cotton from Spain (in pounds)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:57 +0000

The growth of Spanish trade through the American trade at the end of the 18th century played an important role in the beginnings of the Catalan cotton industry. Two of the main points on the peninsula were the main points of entry and re-export of American cotton: Barcelona and Cadiz, with the latter enclave assuming a predominant position between 1760 and 1770, as in 1790 the city of Cadiz took the lead until 1796. In that year, the development of the extent of the international trade in Spanish colonial cotton changed. The dimensions between 1792-1795 were captured in the trade balances of those years. This table shows how most of the cotton was destined for Great Britain, although France also held a significant share before the outbreak of war with Spain, in addition to the importance of Italy as a buyer, especially from 1796 onwards.

The post Exports of raw cotton from Spain (in pounds) first appeared on History Lab.

Origins of cotton imported into Spain, 1781-1796 (in pounds)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:57 +0000

The growth of Spanish trade through the American trade at the end of the 18th century played an important role in the beginnings of the Catalan cotton industry. Two of the main peninsular points of entry and re-export of the American goods were Barcelona and Cadiz, with the latter enclave assuming a predominant position between 1760 and 1770, as in 1790 the city of Cadiz took the lead until 1796. The details of the ports of origin of the cotton delivered later are listed in the approvals of the free trade regulations. In this sense, the extension of the Hispanic Monarchy provided the possibility of taking advantage of the resources of two civilisations where cotton was one of the dominant textile fibres. In the American space, within the supply zone, there were some important variations in terms of suppliers. Havana enjoyed a brief hegemony until the mid-1780s. However, this region for which there is little evidence of cotton growth on the island served primarily as an entrepôt for trade, a role strengthened during the American War of Independence in the late 18th century. Cotton was imported from the viceroyalty of La Plata at this early stage. In contrast, Vera Cruz and Cartagena were also important suppliers and from 1790 the ports of Callao and Guayaquil in the Viceroyalty of Peru became regular suppliers. In 1796 a shift eastwards in supply was evident as new points emerged such as Maracaibo, Cumaná, Nueva Guayana and Trinidad.

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