WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 75 



The people of Grimsby in 1291 complained 

 to Edward I. that the people of Odd fore- 

 stalled them in the supply of herrings by making 

 false representations about the price, which was 

 forty shillings per last. 



In 1294 Eric, King of Norway, allowed the 

 English to come to Norway for herring on the 

 same terms as those enjoyed by the Hansa 

 League. Similarly, in 1295, Edward I. allowed 

 the Dutch to come to Yarmouth to fish for 

 herring. They were also allowed by the King 

 to buy herring at Yarmouth without specific 

 permission, and English subjects were for- 

 bidden to molest them. 



In 1302 Yarmouth was ordered to furnish 

 ten lasts of herrings for the King's table, and 

 the town supplied many of the religious houses 

 in England with herring. 



In 1303 among the weights and measures 

 fixed by authority were : — 



25 herrings equal 1 glen 



15 glens „ 1 rees 



120 herrings „ 1 hundred 



10 hundred ,, 1 thousand 



10 thousand ,, 1 last. 



The last at Yarmouth (in 1917) contains 13,200 

 herring. If they are full herring of average 

 size, they weigh about two and a half tons per 

 last. The word " last " is Teutonic in origin, and 

 meant a load, or burden, of any kind of goods, 

 weighing two tons. A hundred years ago wheat 

 was sold at Yarmouth by the last, as were, at 



