Harpoon, whaling harpoon

This hand harpoon bears the markings 'W A 1833' and 'Wm Ann' indicating it was used on board the William and Ann, a Leith Greenland whaling ship. This type of harpoon was used by London's last Greenland whalers. London's whaling trade developed from 1775. At the peak of its activity the South Sea whaling fleet numbered 149 and for a short while London was the largest whaling port in the World. The whaling trade provided oil and spermaceti candles used for lighting the capital's shops and homes. But the trade also opened up new seas and coastlines helping to extend Britain's commercial empire. From the 1820s, however fleet numbers began to fall due to competition from America and Australia and London's whaling trade finally came to a close in 1859.