30 FISHERIES AND FISHERMEN 



Philip II. at an annual rent of a thousand pounds. The 

 high estimation attaching to this pursuit is evidenced 

 more than once. When Richard III. summoned all the 

 shipping of England against an anticipated invasion of the 

 French, he nevertheless excepted the fishermen of Cromer 

 and the neighbouring ports, lest their absence should impair 

 the interests of the occupation in which they were engaged. 

 For the furtherance too of this vital industry a Statute of 

 Herrings was passed by Henry VII., directing that for every 

 60 acres of land fit for tillage one rood shall be sown with 

 flax or hemp to provide materials for the manufacture of 

 nets, as well as for linen ; and a further measure passed in 

 the reign of Elizabeth gives the Queen power to revive 

 by proclamation the law for the better provision of nets 

 and for furtherance of fishing, though in this case the 

 manufacture of linen is not mentioned. The gradual dis- 

 regard of days of abstinence and fasting during this reign 

 much diminished the profits of the fishmongers ; and com- 

 mercial probably rather than theological zeal dictated their 

 presentment against the butchers for selling flesh meat in 

 Lent, which is preserved in one of the Lansdowne manu- 

 scripts. Some little time afterwards the decay of the fish- 

 ing towns of the eastern coast aroused the alarm of the 

 House of Commons, which poured forth its indignation on 

 the inhabitants for their lazy and disgraceful practice of 

 going half seas over to buy fresh fish from Flemings, 

 Hollanders, Picardy men and Normans, instead of catch- 

 ing it for themselves, and ordained that any one guilty of 

 such a proceeding should forfeit ten pounds every time he 

 himself was caught. What a collection of curiosities in 

 political economy might be discovered in the efforts of 

 Parliament to " improve " the condition of trade ! 



With the general outburst of maritime enterprise which 



