ABSTRACT
Britain's foreign trade and shipping increased substantially in the century after 1750. The economic growth of British foreign trade in the early Industrial Revolution was accompanied by considerable shifts in its geographical scope and commodity composition. An analysis of the growth of western ports, steamship docks and their hinterlands together with consideration of the wealth generated in the Atlantic trades, the growth of export demand and the role of commercial institutions, will demonstrate the vitality and strength of British foreign trade in the early Industrial Revolution. The increase in the quantity and variety of manufactured exports encouraged development of the non-agricultural sector of the British industry economy and diversified foreign trade exports so that it was no longer import-led. Both for the industry and exports generally, it seems that the much greater volume of manufactured wares sent abroad in the period 1800-60 stimulated more by increased efficiency in the supply of goods than by an expansive foreign demand.
