Seamen in the City. Origins, Residence and Standard of Living of Le Havre Seamen from c. 1800 to the First Wold War

In the nineteenth century, seamen in a port city were omnipresent in the urban landscape. Yet, the historical literature has largely defined maritime populations by their marginal position in relation to the population at large. Seamen are described as people whose culture set them apart from ‘landlubbers’. Still, the modernization of shipping under the influence of the Industrial Revolution fundamentally changed the seaman’s profession. In the nineteenth century, seamen in a port city were omnipresent in the urban landscape. Yet, the historical literature has largely defined maritime populations by their marginal position in relation to the population at large. Seamen are described as people whose culture set them apart from ‘landlubbers’. Still, the modernization of shipping under the influence of the Industrial Revolution fundamentally changed the seaman’s profession. Next to the traditional crafts of the sailing ship appeared new jobs linked to mechanical propulsion. The share of traditional jobs on deck declined in favour of new jobs linked to the machine. This development directly affected the port of Le Havre which, albeit of military origin, became more commercial in the eighteenth and especially the nineteenth century. This case study concentrates on the position of seamen in an urban environment against the backdrop of the changes in maritime professions described above. To assess this position, it uses several indicators, all the while making distinctions between old and new maritime jobs. First, it studies the geographical and social origins of seaman, next it looks at their residential patterns in the city and finally it examines their earnings and standard of living in comparison with other groups of labourers.