Newfoundland shipwrecks in the late nineteenth century : communities and their response (with special reference to Trepassey and Harbour Grace)

Wells, Lisa Janice (2002) Newfoundland shipwrecks in the late nineteenth century : communities and their response (with special reference to Trepassey and Harbour Grace). Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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    Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission.
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Abstract

In the late nineteenth century shipping routes across the North Atlantic came close to Newfoundland and ships were wrecked all around the coast. This study concentrates on how ordinary people - mainly fishermen, seafarers, and their families - responded to, and were affected by, shipwreck. It focuses on two places (Trepassey and Harbour Grace). The thesis discusses Newfoundland's colonial status and explores the attitudes residents of Great Britain and Newfoundland held about safety at sea and state responsibility. Shipwreck raised questions of moral responsibility and concerns about how to treat people with decency. The community, and to a lesser extent the Newfoundland government, provided food and clothing to survivors. They buried the dead and assisted families. Furthermore, shipwreck highlighted the political, social and economic dynamics at play within communities. This study adds historical perspective to the contemporary field of disaster studies which has gained prominence of late.

Item Type: Thesis (Masters)
URI: http://research.library.mun.ca/id/eprint/7046
Item ID: 7046
Additional Information: Bibliography: leaves 207-223.
Department(s): Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of > History
Date: 2002
Date Type: Submission
Geographic Location: Canada--Newfoundland and Labrador; Canada--Newfoundland and Labrador--Avalon Peninsula--Trepassey; Canada--Newfoundland and Labrador--Avalon Peninsula--Harbour Grace
Library of Congress Subject Heading: Shipwrecks--Newfoundland and Labrador--19th century; Shipwrecks--Newfoundland and Labrador--Trepassey--19th century; Shipwrecks--Newfoundland and Labrador--Harbour Grace--19th century

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