The Norwegian timber trade was essential for nineteenth century Britain at a time when deforestation had depleted local supplies of timber and yet lumber was in high demand. Cornwall particularly relied upon importing vast quantities of Scandinavian timber to supply the tin mining industry in addition to its use for ship and house building.

The chance finding of a newspaper article describing the suicide of Norwegian ship’s captain, Lars Berg, at Restronguet near Falmouth intrigued the first author. The subsequent inquest had reported his untimely death to have been related to his ship, the Marthe Andrea being damaged beyond repair.

A collaboration was formed between researchers in Cornwall and Oslo who explored the historical archives in Britain and Norway to trace the history of the Marthe Andrea, her various captains and her numerous voyages. By adopting a micro-history approach, this paper highlights the significance of the nineteenth century Norwegian timber trade to the Cornish and Norwegian maritime communities and the impact of political changes during that period.

Author biographies:

Dr. Julie Tomlinson lives in Cornwall and is an Honorary University Fellow with Plymouth University and an Associate Researcher with the Institute of Cornish Studies, University of Exeter. Julie has worked in the NHS for over 36 years as a Consultant Nurse and has held academic positions including Clinical Researcher, Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor of Postgraduate Medical Education with Plymouth University. She holds a PhD in Medical Science and an MLitt in Viking Studies and has a lifelong interest in history and archaeology.

Emeritus Professor Per Norseng lives in Oslo, Norway. He is a retired Senior Curator of the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History/Norwegian Maritime Museum, Oslo. His previous positions also include Head of Research / Director of the Norwegian Maritime Museum, Head of Department at Telemark University College and Professor of History at the University of south-eastern Norway. Per has published extensively on medieval urban and legal history as well as medieval and modern maritime and coastal history. Between 2018-2023 he managed the international research project ‘The Last Ice Age’, investigating the international trade on natural ice in Europe in the 19th and early 20th century, funded by the Research Council of Norway.

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