Leigh j Early Fisheries. 17 



patrimony, even to the Queen of Edward IV. (circa ]460). 

 Henry VIII. 's wives held the fishery as pin money ; his last 

 spouse, Catherine Parr, in a plan drawn by her own hands, 

 added the words, " Nostra Piscaria in dominio Hadleiyh " 

 (1547 ?). But a few years later (1551) Edward VI. presented 

 the fishery to Lord Rich, who in 1555 successfully sued a 

 William Gillett for taking mussels. On descending to the 

 Earl of Warwick he leased "all that is fishing and liberty of 

 fishing " to Anne Brand and others from 1649. There occurred 

 an important departure in oyster laying about 1700, by a lessee 

 under Sir Francis St. John. (See Oyster Industry, sect. VI.) 



Between the close of the previous up to the middle of the 19th 

 century the fishery was the property of Sir John Bernard and 

 Lady Olivia Bernard Sparrow the latter a most bountiful 

 patron to the Leig'h fishermen in many ways. From these by 

 both lease and purchase it passed to several parties, among 

 others Messrs. Hainidge, Alston, Plumb, Hilton, Baxter, Foster, 

 Tabor, Hammond, Wright, and finally the Salvation Army. 

 Thus from Royalty to the " Submerged Tenth " has been the 

 fate of this old fishery. From first to last it has been a continual 

 conflict between the Leigh fishermen insisting upon their sup- 

 posed rights of free fishery, and the defence of the claims of 

 private ownership ; as the late Baron Pollock tersely remarked 

 on the Bench in the Foster versus Frost case, he "feared that 

 the fishery had gone to feed the lawyers."* 



What first Fisheries. From the preceding remarks it is 

 obvious that Leigh as a station commenced with fisheries in 

 general, though after a while and for a period shell-fish 

 oysters, mussels and winkles were the most marked feature. 

 The fisheries, however, were by no means confined to this 

 branch, for among the earliest intimations we find (supra) ths 

 very sovereigns paid their quota towards " Kidells " in the 

 adjoining Ray said instruments being weir-nets for capture 

 of flat-fish, salmon and other round fish. 



* See paragraph in (London) " Standard," 29th January, 1887; but for circumstan- 

 tial reports of the case and full evidence of witnesses, &c., consult the ''Southend 

 Standard," issues 12th June and 31st July, 185 ; likewise 3rd February, 1887. 



B 



