93 



Graves, in his History of Cleveland, in speaking of Skinnin- 

 grove, states that Camden mentions the report of a sea-man 

 being caught by the fishermen of that place, and from the 

 description there is no doubt that this sea-man was a Seal. The 

 same fabulous story is thus more particularly reported in the 

 Cott MS. " Old men that would be loath to have their credyt 

 crackt by a tale of a stale date, report confidently that sixty 

 yeares since, or perhaps 80 or more, a sea-man was taken by the 

 fishers of that place, which, duringe many weeks, they kepte 

 in an oulde house, giving him rawe fishe to eate, for all other 

 fare he refused ; insteade of voyce he skreaked, and shewed 

 himself courteous to such as flocked farre and neare to visit 

 him ; fayre maydes were wellcomest guests to his harbour, 

 whome he woulde behold e with a very earneste countenaynce, 

 as if his phlegmaticke breaste had been touched with a sparke 

 of love. One day, when the good demeanour of this newe 

 gueste had made his hosts secure of his abode with them, he 

 prively stoale out of doores, and ere he coulde be overtaken 

 recovered the sea, whereinto he plounged himself ; yet as one 

 that would not unmannerly depart without taking of his leave, 

 from the mydle upwardes he raysed his shoulders often above 

 the waves, and makinge signs acknowledgeing his good enter- 

 teinment to such as beheld him on the shore, as they interpreted 

 yt; after a pretty while he dived downe, and appeared no 

 more " And in a note to the above the author remarks that — 

 " many centuries have elapsed since authors first wrote about the 

 Marmenill or Sea-Man. Torfseus, in his History of Norway, 

 says that it is met with in Iceland ; and Bishop Pontoppidan 

 assures us, in his natural History of Norway, (vol. II., p. 302), 

 that there are several species of it. AT. Stroem, in his Sundmoes- 

 chen, (p. 287) is very angry Avith those who will not believe in 

 its existence ; and Childrey asserts it as a fact, that some fisher- 

 men caught one on the coast of Suffolk, in the year 1187 ; and 

 that another was taken in Yorkshire, in 1535, being that above 

 mentioned." 



It is now pretty certain that all these mythical tales of sea- 

 men and mermaids, written about by old authors, originated in 

 the Seal It will be noted that the occurrence dated back to a 

 time sirty or eighty years previous to the time of the chronicle 

 of it, and doubtless the account gained colour as it Avas handed 

 down. 



Again, in speaking of Saltburn, Graves has the following 

 quotation from the same source: "Towards Huntscliffe and 

 Bullfleet-Gate there are certain Rockes that at lowe water are 



