A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



a considerable fishing town in ancient times, 

 with a ' hithe,' or quay at which large vessels 

 could unload. Easton Bavent, once the most 

 easterly point of England, a position now held 

 by Lowestoft, was reputed to have had a con- 

 siderable trade in fish, ' the abundance of fennel 

 is token thereof.' ' The church in this parish 

 was further dedicated to St. Nicholas, another 

 patron of seamen. 2 



A notable landowner at the time of the Con- 

 quest was Hugli de Montfort, whose numerous 

 herring-rents are abundant evidence of the pros- 

 perous state of the fishing in the county at that 

 early date. From his farm in Kessingland, he 

 received 22,000 herrings (two lasts and two bar- 

 rels), the value of salted herrings then being 

 301. per last. His Rushmere farm paid 700 

 herrings, two farms at Gisleham respectively 

 is. bd. and 200 herrings, and 5*. and 300 her- 

 rings. Similar rents were paid by farms at 

 Carlton, Kirkley, Worlingham, Weston, and 

 Wangford. 3 



At the time of the survey, Dunwich was 

 paying 60,000 herrings, and Gilbert Blundus 

 rendered to Robert Malet, lord of the manor, 

 for eighty homages ^4 and 8,000 herrings. The 

 contribution of Southwold to the monks of Bury 

 at the same date was 20,000 herrings. Blyth- 

 burgh, in the Confessor's time, rendered 10,000 

 herrings annually to the king's use, 4 the town 

 being 'well frequented upon account of its trade, 

 and divers other affairs here transacted, especially 

 the fishery,' crayers, and other craft, sailing (before 

 the river was choked) up to Walberswick Bridge. 



Dunwich succeeded Beccles in the pursuit of 

 the herring fishery. According to Gardner, 



of all occupations exercised at Dunwich the fishery 

 (consisting of dry, wet, and fresh fish) had the pre- 

 ference ; and of that, the greatest regard was paid to 

 the herring. No person whatsoever might forestall 

 herrings privately or openly, but all herrings were to 

 come freely unsold into the haven, upon pain of im- 

 prisonment at the King's will. And no herrings were 

 to be sold until the fishers had come into the haven, 

 and the cable of their ships drawn to land. The sale 

 was to be from sunrise to sunset, neither before nor 

 after, upon forfeiture of all herrings otherwise so 

 bought. 5 



In the time of Edward I Dunwich had in it 

 'sixteen fair ships, twelve barks, or crayers, and 

 twenty-four fishing-barks, which few towns in 

 England had the like.' 6 



In the fourteenth century, the fish trade at 

 Lowestoft was sufficiently active to come within 

 the scope of municipal regulations. It was to 

 be lawful in 1359 for the merchants of Lowes- 



toft to buy herrings of the ' fishers as free as the 

 London pykers, to serve their carts and horses 

 that come thither from other countries, and to 

 hang them.' Lowestoft men, it was evident, 

 were accustomed to go out to the foreign and 

 other fishing vessels anchored in the roads, and 

 buy herrings, which they landed on the Denes. 

 There the fish were sold to the peddars, or 

 travelling merchants, who loaded their pack- 

 horses with them, and started off to sell to the 

 inland villages. 



By the reign of Edward II the gradual decay 

 of the port of Dunwich had begun to be felt by 

 the inhabitants. It was found necessary, for 

 commercial convenience, to open a new port 

 within the limits of that of Blythburgh, and two 

 miles nearer Southwold. In order to retrieve 

 the loss suffered by the inhabitants of Dunwich, the 

 king ordered that all fish imported at the new 

 haven was to be put on sale nowhere but at the 

 ancient market-places in Dunwich. But this, 

 as well as all other attempts to save the town 

 from inevitable ruin proved ineffectual, the loss 

 of the port being 'an incurable wound.' 



A similar fate was to overtake Blythburgh 

 with the suppression of its priory, and the ces- 

 sation of its fishing trade. By covenant with 

 Margery de Cressy, lady of Blythburgh and 

 Walberswick, Dunwich gave licence to the towns 

 of Blythburgh and Walberswick to occupy any 

 number of merchant ships, or fishing-boats they 

 thought fit, paying customs thereon. Sir Robert 

 Swillington, lord of the manor in the reign of 

 Edward III, received tolls from the ' peddars ' 

 buying fish there. 7 



Walberswick was exempted from paying any 

 customs or dues to Dunwich for fish exported or 

 imported in their proper vessels, at their own 

 quay; their trade in 145 1 being sufficiently 

 extensive to require thirteen barks, trading to 

 Iceland and the North Sea, together with twentv- 

 two home fishing-boats ' for full and shotten 

 herrings, Sperlings, or sprats, etc.' 8 In 1602 

 there were fifteen barks, exclusive of herring- 

 vessels. Of these the town had a dole ; the 

 king receiving of the herrings. 9 



We learn from the churchwardens' accounts, 

 in the year 1489, that a constitution was made 

 for the town doles which fixed the amount to be 

 paid and the manner in which it was to be 

 received. In 1 45 I the churchwardens' receipts 

 contain many references to herrings and other 

 fish. 



In 1597 authority was granted to the church- 

 wardens by the inhabitants of Walberswick to 

 sell, let, farm, or hire to any man, or many men, 



1 Gardner, Hist. Duntvicb, 258. 

 * Also honoured with a church at Dunwich, South- 

 wold, and with an altar at Walberswick. 

 3 Stiff. Dom. Bk. 



' Gardner, Hist. Dumvich, 120. 

 5 Ibid. 19. 6 Ibid. 9. 



7 Ibid. 137. 



8 The names of the owners, masters, and boats, are 

 recorded in the Walberswick Account Book. Sperlings 

 were selling at 6s. a last this year. Herrings were 

 6s. Ss. per thousand. 



9 Gardner, Hist. Duntvicb, 145. 



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