96 



netts, then all those fishers with drawing netts, assembled for 

 that purpose, pursuing the s"" fish to have him alone, and the 

 fishers then assembled with haling netts to have no p* there- 

 of with ye drawing netts. And also. It is ordered, that evry 

 man of both sorts of fishers, then assembled for that purpose, 

 shall give unto 5 water room sufficient and none to come 

 within another to hurt his neighbour gere upon pain of 6s. 8d. 

 on him that shall offend them as oft as he shall so do, to be 

 levyed of the said offender at the next court after, without 

 further delay." 



In an account of the salmon fishery in the same history, 

 it is mentioned that "large shoals of porpoises frequent the 

 sand-banks, and are supposed to be very injurious to salmon and 

 fishes of inferior size. A fishery for these has been attempted, 

 but it has not been attended with success." I imagine that 

 Seals are meant here, and that these two animals are often con- 

 founded in old records. At page 102 of the same history, 

 Brewster, quoting from the survey of the Manor of Stockton, 

 states that the Bishop "has the royalties of the river of Tease, 

 as whales, sturgion, porpoises (probably seals) or the like taken 

 on that side of the river next the County of Durham within 

 the Manor of Stockton." 



Still quoting from Brewster, in the list of fishes, published 

 in his History of Stockton, 1829, it is stated that "salmon 

 have much decreased of late years, owing chiefly to the method 

 of hushing carried on in the lead mines of Teesdale, and pro- 

 bably also to the increase of Seals at the mouth of the river." 



The Seal is given in the list of the Fauna of Cleveland, in 

 Graves 'History ' published in 1808, in Sharp's History of Hartle- 

 pool, published in 1816, (the tail-piece at the end of this list 

 being a figure of a Seal), and in Brewster's History of Stockton, 

 as mentioned above. 



Hutton, in his trip to Coatham, published in 1810, page 

 102, states that " one of our friends, while at Coatham, shot a 

 Seal, said to weigh seven stone, and to be worth two guineas. 

 I thought it would well bear the name of sea-dog." In Heavi- 

 sides' Stockton Almanack, for 1896, is a very interesting and 

 amusing account by Mr. Hunter, a respected resident of the 

 ancient borough, of the capture of two young Seals at the Tees 

 mouth. This was about 50 years ago (that would be about the 

 year 1846). A man of the name of Golightly, who frequented 



