Regional perspectives on global empire: The North East of Scotland and pre-1815 British imperialism

While Scotland's role in the British Empire is an increasingly well understood phenomenon, the regional dimensions of such involvement have yet to be fully understood. This article considers the North East of Scotland as a distinctive region or 'cultural province' and surveys some of the key means by which the area participated in pre-1815 British imperialism. It argues for a greater awareness of the range of 'staple' primary and manufactured products from this part of Scotland contributing to the colonial economy as well as the often highly localised nature of interactions with the Empire. Likewise, it emphasises the North Sea and London-aligned nature of much of these empire connections. The article concludes that the region is best understood as a 'staple producing province' of metropolitan Britain, but one with similar structural characteristics to the 'resource and service zones' identified for other provincial areas of continental Europe.