European wives and local concubines: Women on board English country trader vessels in the Malay Archipelago and beyond, from the 1770s to the 1830s, with some reference to life on board other contemporary sailing vessels

Though the officers and crews of the British ‘country’ ships that operated in association with the English East India Company in the waters of the Malay Archipelago, the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea were all men, there are occasional references to women on board. These women fall into two ca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of maritime history Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 596 - 615
Main Authors Miller, W.G., Smith, Ann G.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.08.2020
International Maritime Economic History Assn
Subjects
Archipelagoes
Maritime history
Maritime industry
Men
Ships
Social classes
Women
English East India Company
Captain’s wives
women on sailing ships
country trade
Malay Archipelago
concubines
temporary wives
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Summary:Though the officers and crews of the British ‘country’ ships that operated in association with the English East India Company in the waters of the Malay Archipelago, the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea were all men, there are occasional references to women on board. These women fall into two categories: European wives and local concubines. This article provides examples of these elusive women, examines the reasons for their presence on board, assesses their social status and makes some comparisons between the two categories.
ISSN:0843-8714
2052-7756
DOI:10.1177/0843871420944630