Radcliffe, Joseph McNeill (2025) Black seamen in British ports c. 1851-1939: The seamen’s boarding house, migration and settlement. PhD thesis, Birkbeck, University of London.
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Radcliffe J, final thesis for library.pdf - Full Version Download (18MB) |
Abstract
This thesis examines the role of the seamen’s boarding house in the migration and settlement of black seamen from the Caribbean and West Africa in London, Liverpool and Cardiff from 1851–1939. The seamen’s boarding house was a vital institution providing a myriad of services both economic and social to the transitory seaman and by the nineteenth century had established itself as one of the main pillars of the port economy. The influence and power the trade held over the seaman and the labour market saw it come under increasing scrutiny from both local and state authorities who took action to control the trade and curtail its influence. Despite this, the seamen’s boarding house remained crucial to the livelihood of black seamen as they migrated and settled in Britain throughout the nineteenth and into the twentieth century. The thesis employs the seamen’s boarding house as a prism through which the growth and development of areas of black settlement in British port cities can be observed. Furthermore, by examining Caribbean and West African seamen’s relationship to the boarding house it also provides an insight into both demographics and, crucially, the complex social dynamics at play between these two groups of seafaring migrants as well as the wider multiethnic space of port cities. Through the seamen’s boarding house, it also allows for an in-depth exploration of how the trade and Caribbean and West African seamen navigated the complex and challenging social, economic and political climate of the interwar years and how they affected areas of black settlement in British port cities. Ultimately, this thesis posits that the seamen’s boarding house was critical to the social and economic lives of Caribbean and West African seamen in Britain and played a crucial role developing, supporting and maintaining areas of black settlement in London, Liverpool and Cardiff.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Copyright Holders: | The copyright of this thesis rests with the author, who asserts his/her right to be known as such according to the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. No dealing with the thesis contrary to the copyright or moral rights of the author is permitted. |
| Depositing User: | Acquisitions And Metadata |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Apr 2025 13:21 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Sep 2025 08:16 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/55453 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.18743/PUB.00055453 |
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