What is it about?
Madeira wine was widely consumed both at home and throughout the British Empire in the 18th century. British merchants, especially Scots, dominated its export from this Portuguese island. One family, who have left behind extensive correspondence, were the Gordons of Letterfourie in the historic county of Banffshire. The article uses these records to paint a picture of their activities, shedding light on changing patterns of Scottish trade and wealth as the country enjoyed some of the fruits of empire.
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Why is it important?
The construction of Britain has been seen as involving the construction of a Protestant empire. While this article does not challenge the main thrust of this argument, it does seek to refine it by showing how devout Roman Catholics could find success in the interstices of empire. It is arguable that the limited historical work on relations between Britain and Portugal has an Anglocentric bias. This article goes some way towards correcting that bias, showing how important trade with Portugal was for generating wealth which then contributed to agricultural development in Scotland.
Perspectives
I came across the Gordons of Letterfourie while researching the life and career of General Patrick Duff of Carnousie. This opened up a whole under-explored world of connections which has helped, in turn, my exploration of the estate farm buildings of north east Scotland. Patrick's buildings at Mains of Carnousie, near Turriff, are arguably the finest of their type to survive.
Dr Alistair Mutch
Nottingham Trent University
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This page is a summary of: Europe, the British Empire and the Madeira Trade: Catholicism, Commerce and the Gordon of Letterfourie Networkc.1730–c.1800, Northern Scotland, May 2016, Edinburgh University Press,
DOI: 10.3366/nor.2016.0106.
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