| Unit name | The Smugglers' City (Level I Special Field) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HIST26010 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Jones |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
During the sixteenth century Bristol became, in a very literal sense, a 'smugglers' city'. This was not just because smugglers lived here. Rather, it was because Bristol itself was ruled by a group of merchant-smugglers that were heavily involved in illicit trading. This Special Field will explore how Bristol's ruling elite created, operated, and protected their smuggling operations during the sixteenth century, employing strategies that ranged from the persecution of informers to the restriction of interlopers. By studying Bristol's black-economy and comparing it to that of other times and places, the unit will seek to determine how organised crime worked in this period and why it was so difficult to suppress. The unit is based on Dr Jones' award-winning research and offers students the opportunity to participate in an ongoing project, learning, in the process, much about how one can investigate secret histories.
1 x 2 hour exam
