FISHINGS OFF THE COAST OF BRITAIN 29 



engaged in " ane whyte fishing of Kodling." l The great 

 east coast fishing was carried on as far south as the coasts 

 of Norfolk and Suffolk. About the 24th of August (Bar- 

 tholomew Tide), the foreign fishing fleet was joined by about 

 300 English vessels, which, according to Coke, brought the 

 fleet altogether to about 1400 vessels. 2 The fishing then 

 continued till Martinmas, when the herring fleets of both 

 nations returned home, " though the herring go stil along, 

 and some are taken about Rye and Hastings." 



Coke gives an interesting account of the manner hi which 

 the Dutch engaged in this fishing conducted their work, 

 and of the benefits which accrued from the presence of so 

 many men in the vicinity of Yarmouth and the neighbour- 

 ing towns on the east coast. 3 " Whilst the fishings con- 

 tinue, the Dutch, with above 1000 sail of busses, besides 

 their jagers and other ships, victual themselves from our 

 shore with bread, beer, flesh and butter, and dry their nets 

 upon the land, specially in a field near Yarmouth, which 

 is two miles in length, and they come ashore sometimes 

 above ten thousand persons, which, besides the victualling 

 of their ships, carry from hence to supply their country 

 both corn, beer and beans in a very great proportion. Yar- 

 mouth alone employe th forty brewers for their service." It 

 is strange that, in face of such facts, Charles and his advisers 

 should not have felt that, if they were doing the English 

 fishermen a service in trying to curtail the extent of the 

 operations of the Dutch, they were certainly not seeking 

 the interests of the English farmer and brewer in striving 

 to deprive them of these valuable customers. 



The Hollanders were accustomed to cure the herring on 

 board their bushes as soon as caught, and, by Dutch law, 

 were compelled to carry all herring caught and cured by 

 Dutch vessels to Holland, where they were barrelled and 



1 MSS. 32.1.16, Advocates' Library. 



2 Col. S.P, Dom. Car. I., vol. 229, No. 78. 3 Ibid. 



