THE RISE OF THE HERRING FISHERIES 107 



barrels ; the herring are taken out, washed in their own pickle and 

 laid orderly in a fresh barrel, which have no salt put to them, but 

 are trodden down as close as may be, and so headed up. 



Summer herring were taken from June to the 13th of July to be 

 sold away in sea-sticks " to bee spent presently in regard of their 

 fatness, and will not endure repacking, and so go one with another 

 full and shotten." The repacked herrings are sorted, the full and 

 sick and shotten packed separately. 



There are also Crux herring, beginning the 14th September, that 

 day being Exaltio Crucis. Corved herring are those taken off 

 Yarmouth, and are used to make red herrings, " provided that they 

 can bee carried on shore within two or three days after they be 

 taken, otherwise they must be pickled." 



The methods of fishing are also described by Smith. The nets 

 were shot in the evening " and so drive all night, and in the morning 

 they get them in again and gip (gut), salt and pack all the herrings 

 before they set on the kettle." 



A detailed account is also given of the disposal of the men and 

 youths in the laymg out of their nets and hauling them in again, 

 as well as the employment of the men in their offices, when the 

 nets are to be hauled up. When the fish are inboard, one man takes 

 the herrings out of the well with the " ladnet " and fills the gippers' 

 baskets. Nine gippers cut the herrings' throats and take out the guts, 

 fling the full herring into one basket and the shotten into another. 



One man takes the full baskets of gutted herring and carries 

 them to the " rower backe, wherein is salt." A boy " rows " them 

 up and down in the salt, while another takes the rowed herring in 

 baskets to the packers. Four men pack the herrings into barrels, 

 while another takes the full barrels from the packer. The barrels 

 stand open for a day, so that the salt may be dissolved in the 

 pickle ; they are then filled and headed up. Full particulars are 

 also given of the employment of the fishermen and sailors in harbour 

 and till they come to the fishing grounds, and also of their duties 

 on the homeward voyage. 



The best locality for a plantation for the fishing next receives 

 attention, together with a list of the provisions for the buss. Amongst 

 other items of outfit are specified : " Hempe brought in by the 

 eastland merchants from the parts of Lieffeland and Prusia, pitch 

 and tarre from the Balticke Seas and Norway. Barrels, boards 

 and willow hoopes from Hambourgh and those parts. Deale- 

 boards, masts and sparres from Norway and firewood. Lixboan 

 [Lisbon], salt, and salt upon salt^ made in England. Normandy 



• John Collins in " Salt and Fishery, etc.," i68z, p. 13, describes Salt upon Salt 

 or salt made by refining of foreign salt. 



