A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



Almain ' seized on his lord's behalf the fishery of 

 the canons. 15 



The Hundred Rolls of the reign of Edward I 

 contain numerous references to fishery rights. 

 At times presentations were made that a power- 

 ful lord as Robert de Bruse ls or Henry de 

 Neufmarche 14 had created for himself a several 

 fishery where hitherto the free tenants had held 

 one in common. At times also the jurors com- 

 plained that the stream of the Trent had been 

 unduly affected by the construction of weirs. 

 For instance, the Master of the Temple in 

 England 15 had throttled (astringit) the flow of 

 the Trent at Girton by Sutton in this way. 

 One notice at least concerns monastic fish-stews, 

 since the Abbot * 6 of Ruffbrd was said to have dug 

 a pond (stagnum) at ' Wilkenfeld,' in the demesne 

 forest of the king, and thus infringed the rights 

 of the Crown. 



In 1291 a commission of oyer and terminer 

 was issued to Gilbert de Thornton and Elias de 

 Bekingham to inquire concerning the persons 

 who came to the Bishop of Lincoln's free fishery 

 in the water of Trent, near his manor of 

 Newark, and carried away the boats, nets, and 

 engines which his men of his said manor had 

 there for the capture of a porpoise, fished there 

 themselves, took the said fish, and when his 

 bailiffs and men arrested the said fish, and raised 

 the hue and cry to attach them, assaulted them, 

 recovered the said fish, and carried it away. 17 

 In 1302 the servant of the master of St. 

 Leonard's Hospital was trying to catch some fish 

 for the Friday dinner, in the mill-pond at this 

 place, when he tumbled into it. His net was 

 worth 4^. 18 



In 1348-9 the fishing of the Trent, which 

 was kept for the town, was given to Stephen 

 Romilou, constable of Nottingham Castle, ' for 

 his time, for having his good counsel and assist- 

 ance.' 19 In 1350 Robert de Screveton was 

 charged with coming to the house of Robert at 

 the Well in Newark, and there seizing, on the 

 Wednesday before Lent, fish to the value of ^4, 

 which he carried away for the needs of the lord 

 king, receiving payment for the same from the 

 keeper of the wardrobe at Chester, but with- 

 holding any part of the said sum from Robert at 

 the Well, with whom a certain Hugh Benet 

 appears to have been in partnership; Robert de 

 Screveton was therefore ordered to be imprisoned 

 for unjust detention. 20 



" Uimd. R. ii, 302*; ; cf. also an interesting 

 sentment as to fishing rights in the Bykersdyke, 

 303*5. 



13 Hund. R, ii, 3024. 



15 Ibid. 31 i<7. 



17 Cat. Pat. 1281-92, p. 



18 Brown, Hist. Newark, \, 

 " Rec. Boro. Nott. i, 411. 

 * Assize R. 672, m. 2. 



reference to Miss Tanner. 



pre- 

 ibid. 



14 Ibid. 319,;. 

 16 Ibid. 303*. 

 520. 

 30. 



I am indebted for this 



In 1382 Geoffrey de Skelton hired from the 

 chamberlains of Nottingham the fishery in the 

 waters of the town for a certain rent by the 

 year. William de Retford came and took fish 

 there in nets at divers times, and carried the 

 same away, to the value of 2Of. 21 In 1395 

 Geoffrey de Skelton was himself complained of 

 by Richard Palmer, fisher, of Nottingham, for 

 taking away and breaking certain fish-leaps which 

 Palmer had lying in the common waters of the 

 Trent, to the value of 4OJ. M In this same year, 

 William Bank, fisher, paid 6s. 8d. for his bur- 

 gess-ship. 23 In 1461-2 the rent of the fishery 

 of Nottingham was entered in the town accounts 

 at 53*. 4</. 24 About this date, Henry Hareyscha, 

 fisherman, of Newark, was a tenant of the 

 Bishop of Lincoln in that town, paying 6d. for a 

 tenement. 26 The sale of fish was strictly regu- 

 lated at Newark in early times ; William Nyx 

 being presented for ' regrating of fish that com- 

 eth to the market, for he buyeth it at the hands 

 of them that sell it in the town, and by that 

 means the town complained that ' we can have 

 no reasonable pennyworth.' 26 In 1499 Law- 

 rence Tailyor of Newark bequeathed to William 

 Tailor ' My nets with all appurtenances for 

 fishing, with a " puppe " and a " trunke," 27 

 together with " my fowling nets." ' 



The town of Nottingham received from 

 Richard Smith in 1531 401. for the common 

 fishing belonging to the town. 29 The fishing 

 of the pools was let in 15789 on condition of 

 a salmon being paid yearly to the mayor. 30 

 Thomas Daye and Master Foster, miller, were 

 presented in 1593-4 for 'denying burgesses for 

 casting a " nell " (eel) string in the Trent.' 31 



The fish and fishing trade at Nottingham 

 was overseen by wardens, a copy of their oatli 

 being preserved in the records of the borough. 32 

 It runs as follows : ' Ye shall well and truly 

 search and oversee all the fish that shall be 

 offered to sale within this town for the space of 

 one whole year from this day now ensuing, 

 that the same be good and seasonable victuals 

 for man's body not corrupted nor putrefied. 

 And all other ancient customs you shall keep 

 that belongeth to your office, to your best cun- 

 ning and power.' 33 By this body the price of 

 herrings was fixed in 1596 as follows: 

 'Whyte, ful 5 for 2d., shutten, 3 for \d., redde 

 ful 5 for 2d. y shotten, 3 for id.' 34 In 1597-8, 





" Ibid. 287. 



Ibid, iii, 41 3. 



11 Rec. Boro. Nott. i, 221. 



* Ibid. 283. 



15 Newark Advertiser, \ 2 Mar. 1 890. 



!C Brown, op. cit. 195. 



17 A place for keeping fish, in Halliwell, Diet. 

 Archaic Words, 892. Every trunk of eels paid \d. 

 toll at Newark ; Dickinson, An:iq. of Notts. 353. 



88 Brown, op. cit. 



K Rec. Boro. Note, iii, 370. * Ibid, iv, 185. 



31 Ibid. 238. " Ibid 245. 



33 Ibid. 31 Ibid 



243. 



33 6 



