Conflict, cooperation and competition: The rise and fall of the Hull whaling trade during the seventeenth century

Abstract

The article discusses the history of the Arctic whaling trade in Hull, England. The author reflects on English whalers based on Spitsbergen Island, Norway, the development of industrial infrastructure and overseas competition, and rivalry between Hull sailors and whalers from the Muscovy Company. Compromises and mutual agreements between competing whaling operations are explored with the intervention of trade councils and attempts at trade cooperation. Other topics include geographical advantages, the impact of civil war in Great Britain, and conflicts over the possession of stricken whales.