Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The project was concerned with the role of international commerce and mercantile networks in the early phases of British industrialisation. Specifically, it was concerned with the operation of the market for malleable bar iron. Between 1650 and 1800 domestic ironmasters were unable to meet the growing demand for bar iron. The shortfall was made good by imports from the Baltic, first from Sweden, then from Russia. The objective of the project was to uncover the links in the global commodity chain that stretched from the mining district of central Sweden to Britain and beyond. By doing so, the destination of bar iron imports can be plotted, allowing regional markets and specialised production zones to be detected, illuminating the operation of one of the most important industrial commodity markets of the era. As a further step, the role of mercantile networks in Britain in developing new patterns of metalware manufacture, orientated upon export markets in the Atlantic world, is brought to light.
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The data collection comprises a complete record of bar iron sales by the Bristol iron merchant Graffin Prankard between 1732 and 1739. The date of the transaction, the name of the buyer, his or her location, the type of bar iron sold, its weight, and its price (per ton) have been recorded. Each buyer is allotted a code to facilitate the sorting of this data by region.