{"id":950,"date":"2026-04-23T17:06:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T16:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/?p=950"},"modified":"2026-04-23T17:06:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T16:06:13","slug":"prof-craig-lamberts-keynote-lecture-at-a-conference-of-the-the-british-commission-for-maritime-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2026\/04\/23\/prof-craig-lamberts-keynote-lecture-at-a-conference-of-the-the-british-commission-for-maritime-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Prof. Craig Lambert’s keynote lecture at a conference of the The British Commission for Maritime History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the 17-18th<\/sup> April we were proud to host The British Commission for Maritime History at the University of Southampton for their 31st<\/sup> \u2018New Researchers in Maritime History\u2019 Conference. This was organised by BCMH and Prof. Helen Farr (Archaeology), a trustee of the Commission, and supported by the Society for Nautical Research, the World Ship Society and Boydell & Brewer publishers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The conference commenced with an excellent keynote lecture given by Prof. Craig Lambert. The keynote drew on his work as Principal Investigator of the Maritime Britain<\/em> project. The lecture argued for a fundamental shift in how we understand early modern England: not as a land-based kingdom with a coastline, but as a society structured through maritime movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using large-scale analysis of port books, customs accounts, and ship surveys, Prof. Lambert explored how England\u2019s maritime world functioned as an interconnected system. Rather than a London-dominated hierarchy, the sixteenth century reveals a regionally structured network, with the East and South West playing leading roles. Crucially, coastal trade, often overlooked, formed the backbone of this system, accounting for around three-quarters of recorded voyages and underpinning overseas expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By linking datasets, the project moves between scales: from national patterns of shipping and trade to the lives of individual mariners, merchants, and shipowners. This allows us to see maritime Britain not only as an infrastructure, but as a lived social world shaped by labour, risk, and opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The central takeaway is simple but important: the sea was not peripheral to early modern England\u2014it was one of the main ways the country functioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following day showcased a range of excellent cross-disciplinary maritime research by ECRs from across the UK, and as far afield as Ontario, Canada. These covered a range of topics from Royal Naval Hammocks to submarine technology, naval strategy, censorship and the secret service, maritime communities and maritime disasters (of course, being Southampton, there was a Titanic paper!), and intangible cultural heritage, coastal community and craft- from the UK to Antarctica. A special mention goes to  Southampton\u2019s Dr Felix Pedrotti (Engineering\/ SMMI) who turned up with a large towing tank model to illustrate the hydrodynamics of the RRS Discovery in the afternoon session on Antarctic exploration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conference was well attended by participants from a range of institutions and backgrounds at various stages in their career, including academic and independent researchers and maritime stakeholders, fostering a supportive environment for ECRs to chat and network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current developments in maritime technology, sustainability and connectivity in the UK are as much a product of their historical trajectory and heritage as they are our island status and nautical architectural or marine engineering capacity. Understanding the nuance of these historical developments through the study of maritime histories can give us a unique insight into the trajectory of this development and the direction we are headed; this overtly historical research transcended academic disciplines and stakeholders, encompassing themes of past maritime security, trade, technology, craft and heritage and its relevance to present day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the 17-18th April we were proud to host The British Commission for Maritime History at the University of Southampton for their 31st \u2018New Researchers in Maritime History\u2019 Conference. This was organised by BCMH and Prof. Helen Farr (Archaeology), a trustee of the Commission, and supported by the Society for Nautical Research, the World Ship Society and Boydell & Brewer publishers.  The …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5315,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-notes-from-the-archive","column","threecol"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9DnLX-fk","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":844,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2025\/09\/19\/maritime-britain-conference\/","url_meta":{"origin":950,"position":0},"title":"Maritime Britain Conference","author":"Craig Lambert","date":"19th September 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Maritime BritainHow did Britain become a global trading nation\u2014and what can the lives of sailors, merchants, and coastal communities tell us about that story? On 16\u201317 September, the Maritime Britain team gathered leading voices in maritime history at the University of Southampton to explore these questions and to showcase a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notes from the archive"","block_context":{"text":"Notes from the archive","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/notes-from-the-archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/09\/conf-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/09\/conf-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/09\/conf-3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/09\/conf-3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":785,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2025\/05\/20\/unpacking-jewish-dis-connections-a-mediterranean-journey-of-memory-identity-and-mobility\/","url_meta":{"origin":950,"position":1},"title":"Unpacking Jewish Dis\/Connections: A Mediterranean Journey of Memory, Identity, and Mobility","author":"No\u00ebmie Duhaut","date":"20th May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dr. Sasha Goldstein-Sabbah (University of Groningen) This blog was originally published on Past and Present.\u00a0 From April 6-8 2025, the historic halls of the University of Warsaw became the vibrant meeting ground for sixteen scholars from across Europe converging to rethink and reframe Jewish histories through a Mediterranean lens.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notes from the archive"","block_context":{"text":"Notes from the archive","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/notes-from-the-archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/05\/image-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/05\/image-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/05\/image-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/05\/image-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/05\/image-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":880,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2025\/11\/07\/exploring-greenwich\/","url_meta":{"origin":950,"position":2},"title":"Exploring Greenwich","author":"Craig Lambert","date":"7th November 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Although most of our discussions and deliberations on HIST3275, \u2018A Short History of Exploration\u2019, have taken place in lecture theatres and seminar rooms, this week we decided to do something different. On Wednesday morning, an intrepid band of third-year historians and tutors gathered at Avenue Campus preparing to embark on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notes from the archive"","block_context":{"text":"Notes from the archive","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/notes-from-the-archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/11\/IMG_4979-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/11\/IMG_4979-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/11\/IMG_4979-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/11\/IMG_4979-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/11\/IMG_4979-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/11\/IMG_4979-1.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":824,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2025\/08\/22\/political-witchcraft\/","url_meta":{"origin":950,"position":3},"title":"Political Witchcraft","author":"Craig Lambert","date":"22nd August 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"On 13 August, Southampton University hosted \u2018Political Witchcraft: Magic and the Politics of Representation,\u2019 an evening of public talks exploring how magical beliefs and practices have been researched, debated, and distorted by various interested parties at different times and places in history. 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There have been an impressive range of events, and it\u2019s not over yet, with more public lectures to come in the autumn and a Question Time event\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2018\/06\/Dazzle-4-002.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":873,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2025\/10\/17\/dr-charlotte-riley-wins-prestigious-prize\/","url_meta":{"origin":950,"position":5},"title":"Dr Charlotte Riley Wins Prestigious Prize","author":"Craig Lambert","date":"17th October 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"History\u2019s Charlotte Lydia Riley has won a very prestigious award from the American Historical Association. The prize is for her the American edition of her book,\u00a0Imperial Island: An Alternative History of the British Empire\u00a0(Harvard University Press, 2024). The prize is the Herbert Baxter Adams Prize for an author\u2019s first book\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notes from the archive"","block_context":{"text":"Notes from the archive","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/notes-from-the-archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2025\/10\/image-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5315"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=950"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":952,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950\/revisions\/952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}