PRIMITIVE NORTH SEA MEN 23 



to poor fishing, for " they were all badly fished, none 

 of them having above a barrel of herrings apiece." 



The times were indeed tumultuous. Simultaneously 

 with the report of the descent on the Dutch doggers 

 was an account of a French man-of-war being in 

 Scarborough Road. She was a ship of about forty 

 guns and had two prizes with her, one a " raft-laden" 

 ship from Norway and the other a Dutch West India- 

 man of between thirty and forty guns, laden with 

 sugar, indigo, and other valuable commodities. The 

 Frenchman did not remain long, and the news of 

 her going was promptly conveyed to Bridlington by 

 Scarborough fishing-boats, for the men of the North 

 Sea were the news carriers of the coast on both sides 

 of that stretch of water. 



Bridlington and Hull loomed large in the official 

 correspondence of the times, mostly in connection with 

 fishing and shipping. Bridlington then, as now, 

 provided in certain winds a vast natural harbour of 

 refuge for vessels which could not make headway. 

 When gales were blowing ships put into Bridlington 

 Bay for the shelter of the great Flamborough Head. 

 Fleets of colliers, light or laden, were constantly 

 sheltering in the Bay. In September 1676 a score 

 of light colliers were at anchor, "the wind having 

 blown very hard, much northerly, most of this week." 

 Several of the sheltering ships were from Holland, 

 and eight or ten soldiers were landed at Bridlington 

 who had been at the siege of Maestricht. They 

 reported that of three British regiments which were 

 there not one was left, and that great privations had 

 been endured and heavy losses suffered. " The poor 



