BOHUSLAN HEREING-FISHEEIES. 225 



We have no data regardiug tlie time when this Bohuslan herring-fish- 

 ery of the fourteenth century began or when it ended. We know that 

 KiugEril', " theFommeranian'''' (1389-1439), asked the English king, Henry 

 F, in the year 1415, to prohibit the inhabitants of several English sea- 

 towns from fishing for herrings on the coast of Norway, which privilege 

 had been granted to them in the year 1294; but it is uncertain whether 

 this prohibition referred to actual fishing or to general trade — more espe- 

 cially to the exportation of lumber — which was going on under the pre- 

 text of herring-fishing.^ Nor is it absolutely certain that this prohibition 

 referred to Bohuslan, although this is quite probable. The herring-fish- 

 eries at that time formed a i^retext for Englishmen, and still more for 

 Dutchmen from the province of Zealand, as well as for Germans, to get 

 a great portion of the trade of Scandinavia, "and especially Denmark,'^ 

 into their hands ; and the lumber trade was at that time, and even till 

 Bohuslan was united with Sweden, one of tlie principal sources of income' 

 of this province. Since King Erili at the same time prohibited the Ger- 

 mans from fishing in Skane, whilst he granted still greater i)rivileges to 

 the Dutch, it almost seems as if he had intended that the Dutch should 

 monopolize the Scandinavian herring-fisheries. They were doubtless 

 less dangerous than the Germans, who occasionally attempted to acquire 

 these rights by force. 



During this fishing-period the city of Marstrand obtained similar priv- 

 ilege'fe from King Christopher, '■'■ the Bavarian,''' in July, 1442, and itschurch, 

 in the year 14G0, was granted a tithe of the herring-fisheries.^" We 

 mention these facts merely to prove that this city must at that time have- 

 been in a flourishing condition, which could not have been brought about 

 by anything but the herring-fisheries. Uddevalla had probably at this, 

 time likewise gained importance and become a city. Its oldest priv- 

 ileges, however, date from the end of the fourteenth century. 



To this herring-fishery of the fourteenth century the old historian 

 Feter Clausson doubtless refers in his well-known work ^^Norriges ocom- 

 liggende Oers sandfaerdige BescriffneJse '' (True Description of Norway 

 and the surrounding Islands), when he says : "It is said that in former 

 times there have been very extensive herring-fisheries in Viksidan,^^ 

 which have disappeared by magic, bad men having sunk a copper horse 

 in the sea and thereby driven the herrings away from the coast ; but 

 this is only a fable ; for it was the wickedness of men, their abuse of 

 God's good gifts and their godless life, which caused the fisheries to 

 cease. This was also the case during the last herring-fishery which the 

 merciful God gave to Yiksidan in the year 155G.'' Feter Clausson lived 

 dimng the second half of the sixteenth century. 



Concerning this last-mentioned herring-fishery, which commenced about 



& See Solmberg, "BokusJiiiis historiu och iesJcrifning," II, p. 14; 2d edition, I, p. 211. 



^^Holmlerg, " Bohuslan' s hhtona och hcsh-ifnirxj," III, p. 406-408,429; 2d edition. III, 

 p. 192-193, 212. 



11 At tliat time Boliuslan was called " nfeifZa/?,'' to distinguisli it from the southeast- 

 ern coast of Norway, which was called " Jgdesidan." 

 15 P 



