Peasant trading and shipping in the Gulf of Finland

Abstract

Docent Gunvor Kerkkonen's study of the shipping and trading activities of the peasants of the coastal areas of Nyland (Uusimaa) is the result of a long period of research. The author's work has made her familiar with the era and the subject; many of her earlier publications have been concerned with the same centuries and the same regions and have touched upon questions discussed in the present work. Dr. Kerkkonen's knowledge of the subject is indeed necessary, for the source material is exceptionally scattered and fragmentary. Items of information were found here and there in medieval and 16th century documents, but the only two extensive collections of material are from the 16th century. The author's versatility and thoroughness in her handling of the subject matter are therefore particulary meritorious. The work is confined to the coasted areas of Nyland, the middle sector of the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, as comparable studies of the other districts are known to be in progress.