212 Animal and Animal Products Trades 



time, the remainder of the cargo being shifted into a wellboat, or 

 storeboat under the care of some servant, who sent it up by degrees 

 as the fishmonger directed."^ Besides raising prices under their 

 alleged monopoly they were charged with adulterating their fish and 

 selling stale for fresh, coarse for fine, etc at former prices.^ The 

 fishmongers sold to retailer fishmongers; they were either themselves 

 "salesmen" or engaged "salesmen" to do their selling. They either 

 bought their fish from the masters of fishing boats, or owned fishing 

 boats themselves in whole or part and hired fishermen to go as mas- 

 ters; the apprentices of these fishermen were, for the purpose of better 

 control, bound directly to the fishmonger.* According to his testi- 

 mony one London fishmonger had part interests, a\'eraging one- 

 eight part, in thirty-two vessels; he had usually three or four partners 

 who were not fishermen or fishmongers.^ 



In Yarmouth, the center of the North Sea and herring fisheries, the 

 fishmonger was called the "oast" or "host." The immemorial cus- 

 tom had been for the master of every "foreign" boat, who came to 

 fish off Norfolk, at his first coming into Yarmouth port to voluntarily 

 "hoast" himself to some freeman of the town. In later centuries the 

 host had become the fish-merchant to whom the incoming fisherman 

 sold his entire cargo, at the tide or market price of that day. This 

 price was the price agreed upon between the fisherman who came first 

 that tide and his host or merchant. When the price was agreed to 

 the host had to pay for all the herrings brought into port by the 

 fisherman that season. The fisherman could sell to this one host 

 only, and at the tide price, which reigned for twelve hours. The host 

 was necessarily a freeman of the town.^ 



At Yarmouth a peculiar system of auction was in operation at the 

 opening of the eighteenth century; it broke down in 1728 but was 

 continued long afterward in the coast towns. A bill was drawn up 

 by the host summing the tide price paid for a cargo and an allowance 

 for provisions for the ship's crew. This bill was brought by him into 

 the Free Chamber of the town and delivered to the Chamberlain. 

 One-half of the cargo was then sold at public auction to the highest 

 bidder among the freemen of the chamber, above the price set in the 

 bill. All freemen except the host were competent to bid. Upon the 



1 Gent. Mag., 1760: 255-6. 



2Morant, Hist, of Colchester, 87; V. C. H., Essex, II, 433. 



3 Gent. Mag., 1760:255. 



* Rep. from Com. H. C. X, 365. 



» Surtees, 105: XX\'I-XX\1I. 



