CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 141 



that the permission given to the English in 1294 seems 

 to have been abused. 



We are told that the French caught herrings so early 

 as 1030 ; and in the " Annals of Dieppe," mention is made 

 of their fishing herrings on the coast between the Seine 

 and the Somme about Christmas, in the year 1383.* 



By the treaty of peace entered into between Louis XI. 

 and Charles Duke of Burgundy, dated 14th October 1468, 

 we find that it was necessary to prevent the molestation 

 of the fishermen, for a clause of this treaty runs thus : 

 " It is agreed that the French shall not molest the her- 

 ring-fishery of Holland, Zealand, Brabant, Flanders, and 



Boulogne."t 



About the year 1202 is the probable time when the 

 Irish began fishing, as that year John Lackland confirms 

 by charter a donation of herrings to the Abbey of Connal.| 



It is evident, from the facts we have stated, that the 

 herring-fishery had already, in the twelfth and thirteenth 

 centuries, become among foreign nations an important 

 means of employment, food, and wealth ; that vast num- 

 bers of vessels and people were employed ; that its im- 

 portance occasioned bloody wars ; and that it afforded 

 food for invading armies. We therefore may expect it had 

 become equally important in Scotland, and, accordingly, 

 we find that in the year 1424 herrings were regularly 

 salted and barrelled as well as smoked. 



The Act of the 1st Parliament James I., 26tli May 

 1424, § says : " Alsua for thay that mony thinges passes out 



* Pommerage, Hist, de I'Abbaye de St Catherine, 73. Noel, de la Moriniere 

 Annales de la ville de Diej^pe. 



t Memoirs of Philip de Comines. 



t Bodl. MS., de Eehas Hib. Fgg. iv. 43. 



g Part of this read at a meeting of the " Society of Antiquaries of 

 Scotland." 



