392 



ON THE PLACE OF FISH IN 



Stock-fish. 



Herrings. 



the yere of the Reyne of Kynge Kerry the vj th aftyr 

 the Conquest xxv*V 



This acknowledgment also contains endorsement 

 of receipts on account written by the creditor or his 

 agent. The original is in Holcot's writing. 



Stock-fishmonger was a regular branch of trade in 

 medieval times. Salt herrings, red and white, salmon, 

 eels, sturgeon, lampreys, haddock, lyng, morucae 

 (which are said to be cod), mulvells, melyng, hake, 

 haburden, cropling, dogdrave, and hard, stock and 

 salt fish, were all cured. Fish was then expensive. 



In those days whale and porpoise were favourite 

 dishes, as well as conger eels. Piscaries were very 

 valuable property, farmed by owners or let at high 

 rents. The eel fishery of Wythornesemere is made 

 the object of an annual account and audit on the part 

 of the Countess Isabella de Fortibus, as was also the 

 salmon fishery of Westshene, the property of the 

 King (Edward II.). The piscary of Dibden was 

 rented by fishermen under the Provost and Corpora- 

 tion of God's House in Southampton ; and the fishing 

 in Cherwell at Oxford was let by the warden and 

 fellows of Merton, whenever this Corporation did not 

 consume its produce in their own commons. 



Herrings were usually bought by the thousand 

 (1,200)) occasionally by the last (containing ten such 

 thousand). They were purchased sometimes in very 

 large quantities, as, for instance, in Winchester in 1259 

 on behalf of the Bishops ; at Rochester, for the purpose 

 of victualling the castle against the siege, 1263 ; at 

 Sandwich, and especially at Acle, where Roger Bigod 

 appears to have had a castle. Large quantities were 

 bought at Wolrichston against harvest time; the 



