Teaching Resources
The Maritime Britain educational resources have been developed by historians at the University of Southampton as part of the Maritime Britain project. Drawing on a database containing hundreds of thousands of voyages and thousands of archival records, these resources introduce learners to the ships, people, commodities, and communities that shaped Britain's maritime past between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.
Unlike many classroom resources, these materials are based directly on original historical evidence. Students are encouraged to work with real historical data and explore how historians use archival sources to investigate trade, migration, exploration, empire, local communities, and everyday life in the past.
The resources have been designed primarily for Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 learners and are accompanied by teaching notes that identify curriculum links and provide guidance on classroom use. They can also support enrichment activities, independent learning, local history projects, museum activities, public engagement programmes, and home education.
Each resource serves as a gateway to the wider Maritime Britain database, enabling students, teachers, and members of the public to explore the original evidence in greater depth and develop their own historical enquiries.
The data presented in the resources comes from collections of documents which have been included in Maritime Britain database and can be explored more fully there. The database can also be used to develop further teaching resources around many other topics. Please see the user guides and background pages for more information on what the database contains and how to use it.
Feedback and Impact
Have you used a Maritime Britain resource in a classroom, museum, local history project, public event, or for independent study? We would love to hear from you.
Your feedback helps us improve future resources, understand how they are being used, and demonstrate the value of historical research for education and public engagement. Please consider sharing how you used the resources, who engaged with them, and what impact they had on learning, teaching, or public understanding of Britain's maritime past.
