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The International Labour Market for Seamen, 1600-1900: Norway and Norwegian Participation

Gustav Sætra

in Those Emblems of Hell?: European Sailors and the Maritime Labour Market, 1570-1870

This chapter reports the growth of the Norwegian shipping trade in the period 1850-1880; an expansion that came as a result of a heightened demand for the exports of fish and timber from Norway to ... More

This chapter reports the growth of the Norwegian shipping trade in the period 1850-1880; an expansion that came as a result of a heightened demand for the exports of fish and timber from Norway to Western and Southern Europe. It provides a detailed history on Norwegian shipping trade, starting from the early days of expansion to Norway’s position as a leading whaling nation. The chapter provides statistical data in the form of numbers of recruitment, labour force, and wages, but notes that source material on Norwegian shipping data prior to 1800 is often scarce and unreliable. The report also outlines the significance of Norwegian presence in foreign fleets after 1850, and discusses the motive behind a seaman’s decision to emigrate. It notes that the Dutch fleet became a popular option for Norwegians, while seamen also flocked to the alternative fleets of Russia; Denmark; Sweden; Holland; France; Great Britain; North America; Argentina; Australia and South Africa.Less

The Growth of Norwegian Shipbroking: The Practices of Fearnley and Eger as a Case Study, 1869-1914

Lewis R. Fischer and Helge W. Nordvik

in People of the Northern Seas

Lewis R. Fischer and Helge W. Nordvik consider the development of shipbroking in late-nineteenth century Norway.

Entrepreneurship and Risk-Taking in the Norwegian Shipping Industry in the Early Part of the Twentieth Century: The Case of Lauritz Kloster, Stavanger

Helge W. Nordvik

in From Wheel House to Counting House: Essays in Maritime Business History in Honour of Professor Peter Neville Davies

In this essay Helge Nordvik reviews the life of Norwegian shipowner Lauritz Kloster, examining how a relatively unknown middle-aged shipping clerk managed to convert his considerable expertise and ... More

In this essay Helge Nordvik reviews the life of Norwegian shipowner Lauritz Kloster, examining how a relatively unknown middle-aged shipping clerk managed to convert his considerable expertise and modest capital resources into a major shipping enterprise. Nordvik argues that the individual businessman is central to any explanation of the growth and development of Norwegian shipping in the first two decades of the twentieth century, and presents Kloster as a shining example of how shipping entrepreneurs built substantial enterprises from limited initial economic resources.Less

The Making of a Maritime Firm: The Rise of Fearnley and Eger, 1869-1917

Lewis R. Fischer and Anders M. Fon

in From Wheel House to Counting House: Essays in Maritime Business History in Honour of Professor Peter Neville Davies

Anders Fon and Lewis R. Fischer explore shipbroking, a business which has been little examined by scholars, by looking at the development of a major Norwegian shipbroker. The career trajectory of ... More

Anders Fon and Lewis R. Fischer explore shipbroking, a business which has been little examined by scholars, by looking at the development of a major Norwegian shipbroker. The career trajectory of Thomas Fearnley has been treated by historians as excellent example of nineteenth-century Norwegian entrepreneurship.Less

Death of a Merchant

Ian G. Layton

in People of the Northern Seas

Ian G. Layton’s essay signifies the move into the second section of the text, which assesses maritime mercantile communities; merchants; shipowners and shipbrokers. It traces the prosperous life of ... More

Ian G. Layton’s essay signifies the move into the second section of the text, which assesses maritime mercantile communities; merchants; shipowners and shipbrokers. It traces the prosperous life of Swedish maritime merchant Abraham Stenholm.Less

St. Petersburg's Bills of Exchange in the Russian Economy of the Eighteenth Century

George E. Munro

in People of the Northern Seas

George Munro considers the development of the gold standard, and the development of bills of exchange at St Petersburg.

Shipowners and Iron Sailing Ships: The First Twenty Years, 1838-1857

David M. Williams and Jonathan M. Hutchings

in People of the Northern Seas

David Williams and Jonathan Hutchings explore the history of the iron sailing vessel and its impact on European trade.