Archive Results For: Other (Early Modern)
Note: On the Attempt to Assess the Accuracy of the Astrolabe
A study of the accuracy of an astrolabe, taking into account previous studies, concluding that the instrument and the observer were more likely to be accurate than the maps he might be using. Read More
Filed under: Other (Early Modern) | Other (location)
Subjects include: Science & Exploration
Some Aspects of the Life and Career of William Sutherland
This paper offers some new insights into aspects of the life and work of the shipwright William Sutherland (1668–1740). He went to sea in 1679 and advanced to master carpenter by 1692. Afterwards he served three years as quarterman at Portsmouth under his uncle William Bagwell. At Deptford in 1715 he became embroiled in controversies […] Read More
Filed under: Spanish Succession | Other (Early Modern) | Internal Waterways
Subjects include: Biography | Shipbuilding & Design
The Law and Language of Private Naval Warfare
Piracy and privateering figure very extensively in history, and in current affairs, but much of the discussion is undermined by the common failure to define the terms and understand the legal distinctions between them. Moreover it is essential to consider with care the translation of languages and legal systems. The paper attempts to clarify the […] Read More
Filed under: High Middle Ages | Other (Early Modern) | Pirates | Other (Eighteenth C) | Other (location)
Subjects include: Administration | Pirates, Corsairs & Privateers
Tactics of Sixteenth Century Galley Artillery
The use of artillery in Mediterranean galley warfare was often perceived as being restricted to the firing of single salvos at very short range before ramming and boarding the enemy ship enabled the main fight in close combat. The article contests the reasons contemporary literature gives for this tactic and argues that it was both […] Read More
Filed under: High Middle Ages | Other (Early Modern) | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Battles & Tactics | Navies | Weapons
Notes made by Thomas Harriot (1560-1622) on Ships and Shipbuilding
Notes made by Thomas Herriot in about 1608 on the vocabulary and technicalities of ships and shipbuilding offer an insight into the practical world. He wrote about the ideal height of a mast, on fashion pieces, ropes and other topics. Read More
Filed under: Other (Early Modern) | Other (location)
Subjects include: Ship Handling & Seamanship | Shipbuilding & Design
Note: Fid and Marlinspike Etymologies
The earliest use of the word ‘fid’ is explored, with Thomas Harriot’s use of the word at the beginning of the seventeenth century noted. The connection between fids and marlinspikes is explained. Read More
Filed under: Popular Topics | Other (Early Modern) | Other (Eighteenth C) | Other (location)
Subjects include: Ship Handling & Seamanship
The Gun and Corsia of Early Modern Mediterranean Galleys: Design Issues and Rationales
An early modern Mediterranean galley carried its main piece of artillery on a wheelless mount inside the raised centreline gangway (the corsia). The gun mount stood on two well-lubricated rails that sloped downwards from fore to aft. In its firing position, the gun was in the bows and when fired recoil propelled it all the way […] Read More
Filed under: Other (Early Modern) | Mediterranean | Other (Eighteenth C)
Subjects include: Manpower & Life at Sea | Shipbuilding & Design | Weapons
Turbulent Waters: Sea Raiding in Early Modern South East Asia
Between 1500 and 1860 piracy in South East Asia was a multinational enterprise, involving European, American, Chinese, Japanese, and indigenous sea raiders. Although Western pirates occasionally made their way into South East Asian waters, they never posed as much of a threat to the prosperity and stability of the area as the buccaneers had done […] Read More
Filed under: Other (Early Modern) | Pirates | Pacific | Other (location)
Subjects include: Pirates, Corsairs & Privateers
Note: The Shadwell Waterfront in the Eighteenth Century
London’s tax registers for the pre-1800 period are now available on line, and this note uses a case study of the Shadwell waterfront to reveal the information contained within them. Read More
Filed under: Other (Early Modern) | Other (Nineteenth C) | Other (Eighteenth C) | Internal Waterways
Subjects include: Administration | Merchant Marines
Note: Practical Assessment of the Accuracy of the Astrolabe
Having been developed by the Arabs as a means of finding direction, the astrolabe and the attendant tables needed by the navigator were refined over the centuries until replaced by the backstaff Read More
Filed under: Medieval | Other (Early Modern) | Other (location)
Subjects include: Science & Exploration