ABSTRACT

The commercial and trading classes, broadly merchants and manufacturers, understood that the interests of trade were in general best served by peace. Though they did not always speak with one voice, they looked to the Navy to safeguard the vital shipping lanes on which their wealth depended, controlling piracy and upholding Britain's mastery at sea. The distinction between merchant and manufacturer was not always clearly drawn, even at the end of the century. A merchant was understood to be a wholesale trader who had dealings with foreign countries. When war threatened, the competing pressures of politics and economics often produced a confused response from the merchant community. The Patriotic Fund's awards of merit to officers who distinguished themselves in the war took the form of money, a piece of plate or a sword. Merchants had access to ready money and a network of contacts. Patriotism was focused on the Navy and merchants.