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Wexford / Decline of Fishing 1857
« on: Friday 21 October 11 19:59 BST (UK) »
I have spent much time trying to establish why a relative of mine left Wexford in or around 1858. (Name William Hughes, b. 1836, Wexford). His father was a fisherman. Prior to joining the royal navy his occupation was noted as seaman by which I assume that he too might have been a fisherman.
An article in the Journal of the Wexford Historical Soc. suggests that fishing was banned in 1857 due to overfishing, and that this was so effective that stocks became abundant ten years later. This alone might account for why a young (21 year old) might leave Wexford to earn a livng elsewhere.
On a visit to the British Museum newspaper library some time ago I trawled through copies of the Wexford Independant and came accross the following article which indicates clearly that fishing from Wexford town had been important up to that year (up to one hundred boats) but had become virtually impossible due to the silting up of the Slaney following the draining of the Slobbs. The following extracts might be of interest.
Improvement of The Bar
To the Honourable Board of Admiralty –
“The Hantoon channel which since the Embankment of the Mudlands is the only entrance to the harbour passable in wild weather, has been constantly shoaled, and shoalder, and is now so obstructed that the vessels usually trading here cannot get in except without a portion of their cargoes. The fishing boats cannot pass the bar during four hours each side of low tide which prevents them from fishing for many valuable hours each day. Fishing employs 300 persons). That as far as your lordships, contrary to the advice, and opinion of our Harbour #Commissioners, released the Harbour Embankment Company from obligation of maintaining and improving the harbour, we consider that your lordships in common justice to the Trade and Fishery are bound to do for the Harbour, what the Harbour Embankment Company were, by their act of 1846, compelled to do”
The article goes on to relate how, since the reign of Henry II the harbour is documented to be unreliable, and how the accounts of Cromwell’s siege of the town draws detailed accounts of the advantages he drew from the difficult navigation in and out of the harbour.
“Thus we may conclude that our harbour has been subject to changes and never appears to have been of a permanently good character. Its present condition is wretchedly bad – fishing boats drawing only from four to six feet of water being obliged frequently to wait for two hours before and two hours after low water before being able to pass. Now however that the matter is fairly put before the Lords of the Admiralty we have strong hopes that such means of improvement will be promptly applied, as the urgency of the case, and the progressive spirit of the age demand.
- Forward to our Borough Representative John T. Devereaux MP for presentation to the Admiralty.
An article in the Journal of the Wexford Historical Soc. suggests that fishing was banned in 1857 due to overfishing, and that this was so effective that stocks became abundant ten years later. This alone might account for why a young (21 year old) might leave Wexford to earn a livng elsewhere.
On a visit to the British Museum newspaper library some time ago I trawled through copies of the Wexford Independant and came accross the following article which indicates clearly that fishing from Wexford town had been important up to that year (up to one hundred boats) but had become virtually impossible due to the silting up of the Slaney following the draining of the Slobbs. The following extracts might be of interest.
Improvement of The Bar
To the Honourable Board of Admiralty –
“The Hantoon channel which since the Embankment of the Mudlands is the only entrance to the harbour passable in wild weather, has been constantly shoaled, and shoalder, and is now so obstructed that the vessels usually trading here cannot get in except without a portion of their cargoes. The fishing boats cannot pass the bar during four hours each side of low tide which prevents them from fishing for many valuable hours each day. Fishing employs 300 persons). That as far as your lordships, contrary to the advice, and opinion of our Harbour #Commissioners, released the Harbour Embankment Company from obligation of maintaining and improving the harbour, we consider that your lordships in common justice to the Trade and Fishery are bound to do for the Harbour, what the Harbour Embankment Company were, by their act of 1846, compelled to do”
The article goes on to relate how, since the reign of Henry II the harbour is documented to be unreliable, and how the accounts of Cromwell’s siege of the town draws detailed accounts of the advantages he drew from the difficult navigation in and out of the harbour.
“Thus we may conclude that our harbour has been subject to changes and never appears to have been of a permanently good character. Its present condition is wretchedly bad – fishing boats drawing only from four to six feet of water being obliged frequently to wait for two hours before and two hours after low water before being able to pass. Now however that the matter is fairly put before the Lords of the Admiralty we have strong hopes that such means of improvement will be promptly applied, as the urgency of the case, and the progressive spirit of the age demand.
- Forward to our Borough Representative John T. Devereaux MP for presentation to the Admiralty.