The English Elite's Perceptions of Marine Life in the North Atlantic, c. 1550-1640

Abstract

This thesis examines the English elite's perceptions of marine life in the North Atlantic world by presenting a narrative account of the experiences of the elite during their westward voyages to the North Atlantic, exploring the political, economic, dietary, and medical values of marine fish. The central argument is that the English elite's perceptions of North Atlantic marine life were instrumental in their overseas careers and domestic rule, as well as the expansion of English power roughly between 1550 and 1640. This thesis employs an interdisciplinary methodology to investigate the marine environmental history of the region. It draws upon a range of primary sources and metadata, including historical textual records, material culture, and reconstructed environmental data. The utilisation of digital environmental humanities (DEH) tools, especially statistical analysis tools, has facilitated the analyses and visualisation of the research results presented in this thesis.