All hands on deck! Life aboard Frisian shipping vessels

Frisian shipping

In the 17th and 18th centuries, large numbers of Frisians were involved in maritime cargo shipping. They built on the trade network that had connected the North Sea and Baltic Sea regions with the European Atlantic coasts and Mediterranean ports since the Middle Ages. Frisian cargo ships developed into specialists in the transport of bulk goods, foodstuffs and raw materials. After a period of prolonged growth began around 1580, Frisian freight shippers accounted for between 40% and 55% of the Republic's Baltic Sea shipping in the 17th and 18th centuries. This made Frisian freight shipping a major local employer that reached far beyond the maritime sector alone.

From the early 17th century onwards, the increasing demand for whale oil gave impetus to whaling. This initially focused on Spitsbergen and later on Greenland, until the sector declined around 1750. The importance of inland shipping, often connected to routes across the Zuiderzee to Holland and northern Germany, is underestimated and also partly unknown, but it was an important sector. Peat digging in particular ensured lively shipping to the markets in Holland.

Daily life on board

Over the past two decades, much attention has been paid to the routes, goods and importance of the Frisian ports. This symposium focuses on the daily life on board and ashore of the skippers and their crews. Questions addressed include the organisation on board, the diversity of the often international crews, internal hierarchies and the risks at sea, ranging from damage and shipwreck to hijacking and imprisonment.

Personal documents, ship's logs and accounts provide insight into personal experiences, signing on, order, navigation techniques or wages and living costs. Archaeology can be used to link questions concerning material culture to these topics. This provides more insight into the layout and use of the ship and the objects that passed through the hands of the crew. Where necessary, the focus is broadened to include shipping in the Republic.

Programme

As in previous years, the organisation has once again put together a diverse programme. Please note that the lectures will be in Dutch and/or Frisian.

- Rein de Lange, "Aanmonsteren op de Bataafse vloot in Harlingen (1797-1808)" (“Signing on to the Batavian fleet in Harlingen (1797-1808)”)
- Wouter Waldus, "Leven aan boord van turfschepen, een archeologische benadering" ('Life on board peat ships, an archaeological approach')
- Geke Burgers, "Leven aan boord van een koopvaarder omstreeks 1600" (‘Life aboard a merchant ship around 1600’)
- Jurjen Leinenga, "Het dagelijks leven van een walvisvaarder (17de-19de eeuw)" (‘The daily life of a whaler (17th-19th century)’)
- Hanno Brand, “Friese Prize Papers over het leven aan boord aan het einde van de 18de eeuw” (‘Frisian Prize Papers on life aboard ships at the end of the 18th century’)

The event also marks the departure of Hanno Brand as a researcher at the Fryske Akademy, as he is retiring.

Ticket sale

The entrance fee for the symposium is €20 per person, including lunch and coffee/tea. You can purchase tickets online via our ticket shop. It is not possible to purchase tickets at the entrance.