1st Edition
The Seventeenth-Century Customs Service Surveyed William Culliford's Investigation of the Western Ports, 1682-84
By William B. Stephens
Copyright 2012
254 Pages
by
Routledge
256 Pages
by
Routledge
256 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
In January 1682, William Culliford, a loyal and experienced officer in the King's customs service, began an extraordinary journey under Treasury orders to investigate the integrity and efficiency of the customs establishments of southwest England and south Wales as part of a drive to maximize the Crown's income from customs duties (on which it relied for much of its revenue). Starting at Bristol,... Read more
Contents: Preface; Introduction; Bristol and the ports of South Wales; The ports of Somerset and North Devon; The Dorset ports; Exeter and Dartmouth; Plymouth and Looe; The Cornish ports; Conclusion; Appendices; Index.
Biography
Over a career as Deputy General Editor of the Victoria County Histories, as Reader in the University of Leeds and as Hon. Research Fellow at University College London, Dr Stephens has published widely in the fields of economic and social history and in English and US local history.
'Stephens uses his great expertise in West Country local history effectively in a book that will be troubling for maritime trade historians, valuable for those concerned with the history of any English port between Swansea and Plymouth in the later Stuart period, and necessary for those studying the history of English governance and the customs service on the eve of Monmouth’s rising.' International Journal of Maritime History 'Stephens provides an extremely useful breakdown of the Customs anatomy in the provincial ports... I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the huge alternative economy that characterized late seventeenth-century England.' Journal of British Studies 'In reality Stephen’s book is much more than a survey of the late seventeenth century customs service, casting valuable light on the nature of south-western merchant and maritime communities, patterns of trade and shipping, together with local politics and religion during the 1680s. As such, it cannot be recommended highly enough.' Southern History 'The story of Culliford’s purge in the Westcountry is told in this book in a highly readable and engaging manner. Dr Stephens manages to combine his erudition and considerable scholarship with a lightness of touch and accessibility. It is a beautifully written book. Ashgate titles are, of course, invariably produced to an exceptionally high standard; this book is no exception. It is moreover one of those rare research texts that has genuinely wide appeal.' Transactions of the Devonshire Association '... smuggling deserves to be the subject of 'serious history' after all.' Urban History
