Going out for the loot: an archaeology of illicit Jacobite maritime networks (1680 to 1715)

Thesis

This thesis evaluates how usage of the term ‘pirate’ has shaped our understanding of certain maritime cultures. Activities typically considered ‘illicit’ (piracy and smuggling) were integrated into trade systems during periods of heightened maritime connectivity but were othered as a justification for control of the sea lanes by rival maritime networks. Specifically, this thesis examines how sailors sympathetic to the exiled Jacobite government operated within the sphere of influence of the English, and later British after the Act of Union. As a result, both groups were using the same maritime networks but to support opposite interests. It is argued that the English/British government appropriated piracy and smuggling laws to wield greater authority over maritime actors operating in the Celtic Sea. To this end Jacobite networks are used as a case study to investigate how archaeology can be utilised to understand piracy from a different perspective. This is first approached by analysing the piracy cases tried during this period to better understand which groups are accused of piracy. Then, archaeological methods including, maritime survey, temporal GIS, and evidence recorded from commercial excavations, are used to provide evidence for trade between the Celtic regions of Cornwall, Ireland, and France, the main locations cited within the court trials. This seeks to demonstrate that groups labelled as piratical were engaged in trade, which was suppressed through piracy law in Ireland and smuggling laws in England. Finally, data from both these methods are combined to produce networks of the political and economic structures of the time that allowed this trade to thrive. By considering pirates as maritime societies which can be understood through the cultural landscape, this thesis aims to initiate discussions about the maritime networks of other societies designated as piratical throughout history.

Authors: Dawson, ARM

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-rdw2mg0vz
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Postemedieval; maritime; archaeology; Ireland; piracy; GIS
• Subjects: History; Archaeology