FISHING STATIONS— ENGLAND. 237 



as that sand became firm land, and tliat thereby traffic 

 began more and more to be increased, men finding the 

 same to be a commodious place to dwell and inhabit in, 

 did for that purpose gatber themselves together, to 

 have a continual residence therein ; and began to build 

 houses, of which came streets, and of those streets this 

 flourishing township.' 



Considerable interest attaches to the history of Yai*- 

 mouth from its undoubted connection with the herrino; 

 fishery for at least many centuries ; for although his- 

 torians are not quite agreed about Cerdick landing in 

 Norfolk, there is no doubt that the Yarmouth herring 

 fishery was well established when Henry I. granted a 

 charter to the town in 1108. The incidental mention 

 by Manship that the fishermen and buyers assembled 

 about the feast of St. Michael (the 29th of September) 

 at the place where Yarmouth is now said to stand, is 

 also worthy of notice ; as it shows that, in the earliest 

 times of the fishery, the Yarmouth herring season was 

 at much the same time of the year as it is at present. 

 For although Yarmouth boats now generally begin 

 fishing in July, they then go some distance north, and 

 the home fishery is only carried on from September to 

 November. 



As a description' has already been given of the boats 

 and nets used by the Yarmouth drift fishermen, we will 

 only now say a few words about landing the fish, and 

 the manner in which they are converted into bloaters 

 and red herrings. 



Yarmouth once stood on an island, there having been 

 two entrances to the river Yare, one on each side of 

 the town. The northern entrance, however, has long 

 been closed ; and the river now runs along the back of 



' See Drift-fishing, p. 100. 



