Benjamin Redding

Benjamin Redding is Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of East Anglia. As a maritime historian, Benjamin's research explores the growth and decline of navies both prior to and during the Age of Sail. In addition to various articles published, his first book 'The English and French Navies, 1500-1650: Expansion, Organisation and State-Building' is published by Boydell & Brewer.

He is senior researcher on the multi-award winning Gloucester Project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust (2021-5), and is writing the first cradle-to-grave history of the Gloucester (with Professor Claire Jowitt). The Gloucester was launched as a Cromwellian warship in 1654 and it was lost at sea in 1682 with the future King James II and VII on board. The discovery of the shipwreck off Norfolk was announced in June 2022. In 2023, Benjamin co-curated the first exhibition to showcase the Gloucester's artefacts at Norwich Castle Museum. He is also a Trustee of the British Commission for Maritime History and serves on the Council for the Navy Records Society.