The Early Hudson's Bay Company Account Books as Sources for Historical Research: An Analysis and Assessment

  • Arthur J. Ray

Abstract

The Hudson’s Bay Company account books are often misunderstood and not well known by researchers; consequently, they have not really contributed to the economic history of fur trading. This article aims to explain the first account books of the Hudson’s Bay Company, particularly those of fur trading posts. By analyzing the internal structure of the account books, the author provides details on the types of information one can find in the books. The author also measures the significance of various items found within the account books. From his observations comes a detailed description of accounting methods used at the time of their creation. The author concludes by suggesting that these documents could lead to a number of possible research subjects for historians as researchers study the economic societies of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

RÉSUMÉ
Parce que mal compris et peu connus, les livres de comptes de la Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson ont jusqu'ici peu contribué à 1'étude de l’histoire économique de la traite des fourrures. Cet article vise à expliquer les premiers livres de comptes de la Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson et, en particulier, ceux des postes de traite. En analysant la structure interne de ces livres, l'auteur fournit des détails sur le genre de renseignements que l'on peut en retirer et jauge la signification des divers items que l'on y trouve. I1 dégage de ses observations une description minutieuse des méthodes de comptabilité utilisées à l‘époque. En conclusion, il suggère certains filons de recherche que l'utilisation de ces documents pourrait permettre à l'historien de poursuivre dans le cadre de leurs études de la société et 1'économie des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles.

Author Biography

Arthur J. Ray
ARTHUR RAY is an Associate Professor of Geography at York University in Toronto. His particular field of interest is the cultural historical geography of Canada's native people. He is the author of Indians in the Fur Trade (University of Toronto Press, 1974).
Published
1975-01-01
How to Cite
Ray, Arthur J. 1975. “The Early Hudson’s Bay Company Account Books As Sources for Historical Research: An Analysis and Assessment”. Archivaria 1 (January), 3-38. https://archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/article/view/10401.
Section
Articles

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