Politics, Shipping and the Repeal of the Navigation Laws

The repeal of the Navigation Laws in 1849 brought to an end two centuries of legislative protection for British shipping, setting a pattern in the maritime sphere which has lasted until the present day. The end of the laws has proved a less compelling political event than the abolition of the Corn Laws, to which it has sometimes been seen as a mere postscript; and confusion as to how much protection the Navigation Laws provided in the 1840s has led some to conclude that repeal had little practical significance. This book, which aims to bestride the gulf between political and economic history, is an attempt to assert the Navigation Laws and their repeal as important aspects of 19th-century British history. The author also aims to support the claim of maritime history to be considered as a field of historical study in its own right.