Cathryn Pearce

Cathryn Pearce is a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Portsmouth, affiliated with the School of Area Studies, Sociology, History, Politics, and Literature. She holds a PhD from the Greenwich Maritime Institute and has taught at institutions including the University of Alaska Anchorage and University of Greenwich. Her research focuses on the social, cultural, and environmental history of coastal communities, shipwrecks, and wrecking practices in the UK and Atlantic Archipelago. She leads the Centre for Port Cities and Maritime Cultures and teaches on the MA Naval History programme.

Key research areas include the socio-cultural impacts of shipwrecks, environmental history of wrecking, and the role of organizations like the Shipwrecked Mariners Society. She has explored topics such as 18th-19th century Coastguards, maritime charity growth, and the legacy of Royal Navy voyages. Her book Cornish Wrecking, 1700-1860 pioneered studies on wrecking narratives.

Professional roles include former Chair of the British Commission for Maritime History and Vice-President of the Society for Nautical Research. Her work informs media projects, including BBC documentaries and historical adaptations like Poldark. She actively supervises PhD students focusing on naval history, coastal communities, and knowledge exchange in maritime contexts.

Labs/Teams: Centre for Port Cities and Maritime Cultures, History Research Group, Centre for European and International Studies Research.