The Transportation Revolution and the English Coal Industry, 1695–1842: A Geographical Approach

Cross sections of coal prices in
England for 1695, 1795, and 1842 are used to infer transportation rates by sea,
river, canal, and road. The effectiveness of monopolies, the degree of market
integration, and the patterns of regional supply of each mining district are
then established. The growth rates of productivity in sea, river, and road
transport from 1695–1842 are computed and combined with a social savings
assessment of canals to measure the overall growth in the productivity of
shipping coal. Productivity growth was substantial but had a surprisingly
limited impact on the geography of production and consumption.