No fishery is mentioned as such; but there are many returns of eel-rents, which were the usual rents for fisheries. LANCASHIRE. The fisheries were all part of the manor of West Derby, the tenants of which were bound to repair them: f. 269 b. No fishery is mentioned as such; but there are numerous cel-rents paid as the rents of mills, e.g., Oundle (Undele) on the Nene, "a mill of 20s. and 250 eels." The fisheries are all included in the eel-rents as in Leicestershire. No fishery is mentioned as such ; but there are numerous returns of eel-rents. N.B.-Besides the above there are innumerable instances of receipts of eel-rents in all the counties (except Staffordshire), e.g., Olnei (Bucks), "molendinum de cc anguillis" (f. 145 b). Berlaw (Bucks), De piscaria D anguillis." Lavendon (Bucks), "Molendinum de xxxvis. et cel anguillis. Tarente (Dorset), "Ibi ii molendini reddentes xxxs. et mille anguillæ." Hoddesdon (Hertford), "De gurgite xxi anguillæ; de piscaria el anguillæ." Maidstone (Kent), "Ibi ii piscariæ de cclxx anguillis." Brune (Lincoln), "vi piscariæ reddentes MMD anguillas." In Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire all the fisheries on the rivers Ouse and Nene are returned with the rent of the mills in eel-rent. Cersetone (Oxon.), "De molino et piscaria xvs. vjd. et clxxv anguillæ." Codesdune (Oxon.), "Ibi molinum et ii piscariæ de xiis." Estone (Oxon.), "Ibi molinum cum piscaria reddens xxxs." Bradewelle (Oxon.), “Ibi ij molini cum piscariis et pratis reddunt xxs." Edmendune (Salop), "Ibi molinum cum piscaria reddens xs." Hantentune (Salop), “Ibi molinum de cccc anguillis." Catewinde (Salop), “Ibi pratum et molinum cum ii piscariis reddens vs. et lxiiij stickis anguillarum." The practice of letting the fishery in a manor with the mill clearly appears from the entries in Domesday Book, and it is clear that rent was taken in eels both from mills let with fisheries, and from fisheries by themselves. If all the entries of eel-rents were collected it would more than double the number of fisheries referred to above set out, and would show that there existed a fishery in almost every riparian manor. LIST OF FISHERIES. It has been thought that the existence of several fisheries in tidal waters is exceptional (a). This is a mistake. The true fact is, as can be shown from the records, that all, or almost all, tidal rivers and estuaries were in ancient times, and, where the right still remains valuable, still are, covered by several fisheries in the hands of the subject. The river Tweed is entirely covered by them; the Tyne also from its mouth upwards; the Aln, the Coquet, the Wansbeck, the Wear, and the Tees are in the same case; many of the manors on the Humber have several fisheries as parcel of them; the tidal waters of the Ouse, Derwent, Ayre, Calder, and Don were covered by several fisheries parcel of the manors on the banks; the case is the same with respect to the Trent, Witham, the Welland, the Nene, the Ouse, the Cam, the Aire, the Waveney, the Stour, the Colne, the Blackwater, the Crouch, the Thames on the coast of Essex, the Swale, the Christchurch Avon, the Frome, the Axe, the Exe, the Teign, the Dart, the Tamar, the Fal, the Severn, the Wye, the Dee, the Mersey, the Ribble, the Lune, the Eden, the Derwent, and the Solway Frith. If reference were made to the grants and records relating to manors situate upon tidal rivers and estuaries there is no doubt that several fisheries would be found to be parcel of all or almost all of them. With regard to fisheries upon the open sea coast, it is clear that they existed from the earliest time. Magna Charta, c. 26, which orders all kiddels to be destroyed throughout England, specially excepts those "per costeram maris ;" and Hale remarks that "this exception of weirs upon the seacoast, and likewise frequent examples, make it appear that there might be such private interests, not only in point of liberty, but in point of propriety, on the sea-coast and below the low-water mark, for such were regularly all weirs." The records show that these several fisheries existed all round the coast, the lords of the manors having weirs placed upon the foreshore wherever the shore was suitable for that kind of fishery; kiddel fishing was universal throughout the open shore of the county of Essex. The Quo Warranto Rolls and the Hundred Rolls show numerous instances of such fisheries in the counties of York, Lincoln, Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent, and elsewhere. In fact, there is practically no doubt that the whole foreshore of the kingdom, wherever it was fit for fishing by weirs, was covered by several fisheries. With regard to non-tidal waters, there is no doubt whatever that in ancient times the whole of them were embraced in several fisheries as parcel of the manors which either abutted on or included the rivers. The following very imperfect list refers to places in which fisheries are shown to have existed from notes of records in the authors' collections. The list might be amplified if the inquisitions and extents (a) See Hall on Sea-shore, p. 716. of manors, fines and other records were inspected, the calendars of these documents not giving particulars as to fisheries. The authors are fully conscious that this list is very imperfect, but it is given for the purpose of showing the existence of fisheries in numerous places throughout the kingdom. N.B.-The fisheries set out in this list are referred to in ancient records, the notes of which are in the authors' collection of materials for this work. The ancient spelling of the names of places has been followed. The fisheries dealt with in this work are referenced by the pages. Arnesfourthe, Yorks. Arnside Bay, Cumb. Arun River, Sussex, pp. 4, 8, 27, Arundell, Sussex, p. 30. Aschelond, Warwick. Asilmere, Notts. Ashby, Suffolk. Ashford West, Devon. Askeland, Lancs. Asshewere, Glouc. Astland River, Lanc. Aston, Cheshire, p. 3. Aston, nr. Birmingham, p. 49. Aston, Northampton. Aston, Derby. Attlebrig, Norfolk, p. 40. Auste, Glouc. Avene, Glouc. Axe River, Devon. B. Babbeworth, Middlesex. Bala Lake, Wales, p 161. Bampton Doyle, Oxon., p. 44. |