This Water Court, previous to their 

 Free Dredgers incorporation, was held by the Lord 



of the Manor, and in those days the 

 Apprentices. . , ... , 



sons of strangers were admitted as 



Free Dredgers, after an apprenticeship of seven years. 

 For some years after the formation of the company the 

 eldest son of every freeman of the company was admitted 

 to membership at the age of sixteen, while the younger 

 sons, after serving an apprenticeship of seven years, 

 received their freedom at twenty-one. Many incon- 

 veniences arising from this rule, not the least being the 

 rapid growth in the number of freemen, caused the 

 rescindment of it, and in 1881 it was arranged that only 

 the eldest sons of freemen were to be enrolled for member- 

 ship at the age of twenty-one. As only the services of a 

 certain number of the freemen were required to work 

 the fishery, a class of non-working members rapidly 

 increased in numbers, and had to find other occupations, 

 though they received one-third of a member's share of the 

 profits, the additional two-thirds, which the active 

 members received, representing the actual payment for 

 their labours. The widows of members, who also multi- 

 plied as time went on, by a charitable rule received the 

 same proportion as the non-working members, while 

 sick members obtained very nearly full pay. 



It is easily understood that this state 



I he Act Q things could not go on indefinitely, and 



^ ' for the company to continue in a state of 



prosperity some grave changes had to be contemplated 



Some gentlemen of position came forward in 1895, who 



proposed to raise sufficient capital to buy the rights of all 



those members willing to sell them. An Act was duly 



obtained in 1896 enabling the members to sell their interests 



