26 CHARLES I. 



contributed about forty or fifty more, making in all about 

 a hundred vessels, of from 50 to 150 tons. The fishers 

 took their catch at a distance of 6, 10, or 20 leagues from 

 the shore, never going nearer except in foul weather. They 

 went to the fishing grounds " victualled for six months 

 with Bread and Beer." For other provisions they relied 

 on the resources of the Island, which could always provide 

 them with " fowl and fish." One curious point noted by 

 Coke is that many long winged hawks were taken, some 16 

 or 20 falconers going with the fleet to look after the birds. 



Concerning Irish fishings, Coke comments on the fact 

 that whereas formerly no foreigners fished there without 

 having first duly taken out a license to do so, the Dutch 

 were now acting as if the fishing were really their own, and 

 had actually established a company at Amsterdam, called 

 " The Irish Company," to exploit the Irish fisheries. 



Another contemporary writer l states that upon the east 

 and south coasts of Ireland there was formerly a herring 

 fishing, but at that time it had not been engaged in for 

 some three or four years. Upon the north and north-east 

 parts of Ireland, there existed a herring fishing, " but so 

 uncertain as no proportion can be made for the same." 

 The same writer speaks of " ane Pilchert fishing upon the 

 south-west of Ireland belonging to the City of London," 

 and of the great Irish " Salmond fishings." 



From March till the beginning of September the Yarmouth 

 fishermen were off the coast of Ireland in search of cod and 

 ling. Ordinarily, about this time, some two or three hun- 

 dred small vessels of from ten to thirty tons burden set 

 out for this fishing, making two or three voyages to the 

 fishing grounds from the first of March to the first of Sep- 

 tember, when they set out for the herring fishing upon the 

 banks of Yarmouth. 2 



1 MSS., about 1630, 31.2.16, Advocates' Library, Edinburgh. 

 2 MSS. 32.1.16, Advocates' Library, Edinburgh. "Memorandum con- 

 cerning the fishing along the coast of England, Cornwall, etc." 



