AI-Transcribed Port Books Reveal Europe Dominated British Trade, Not the Colonies
An online database derived from British port records indicates that from the late 16th to mid-18th centuries, Britain's trade was primarily influenced by shorter European routes rather than colonial commerce. During the period of 1696–1697, 80% of the total value of Britain's trade originated from European markets. Researchers at the University of Southampton employed AI technology to analyze documents from the British National Archives, which date back to 1565. Lead researcher Craig Lambert emphasized that the AI analysis would have required years if done manually. The database encompasses over 3,000 ports, including 1,000 British domestic ports. Coal was the predominant cargo, with over 101,000 entries, followed by malt, wheat, iron, wool, and wine.
Key facts
- Researchers at the University of Southampton used AI to transcribe handwritten British port books from 1565 onward
- Between 1696 and 1697, 80 percent of the value of Britain's global trade came from European markets
- The database covers more than 3,000 ports worldwide, including over 1,000 domestic British ports
- Coal was the most commonly traded commodity analyzed, appearing in more than 101,000 cargo entries
- Malt, wheat, iron, wool and wine were the next-most popular goods
- British ships connected with 157 maritime sites in France, 68 in the Netherlands and 59 in India
- Ten of Britain's top 15 trading partners by number of recorded maritime locations were on the continent
- The records are held at the British National Archives and mapped by the university's GeoData Institute
Entities
Artists
- John McAleer
- Craig Lambert
- Rhys Blakely
- Christian Thorsberg
Institutions
- University of Southampton
- British National Archives
- GeoData Institute
- London Times
- Smithsonian Magazine
Locations
- Britain
- England
- India
- Jamaica
- Virginia
- Hull
- Whitby
- Newcastle
- Sunderland
- France
- Netherlands
- Scandinavia
- China
- Venice
- Italy
- Americas
- Asia
- Baltic
- London
- Chicago