Read for ou h We at he r . y R g . T H E

OY ST E R D R E D G E R S

A B L E WH IT ST .

V D E N OLLA D O E N C R .

’ the sa nction ' of the l zts ta ble

lS/z e f Com a n y p y .

i nnhnn

O E H CO A RD J S P LL , A R W CEI I ING R SS R A G W C C . L ASS H S E T R EE 4 3 O O D , . ; 45 O U S T , . 2 I H F I EL T R E ET CA M R I G E CI R US W 4 L TC D S , B D C C .

1 90 2 .

P R I GH C O Y T .

’ Ent e ed a t Statio ne r s H a ll "r . )

P R E F A C E .

‘ V ery little is really known of the history and s urrou ndings of the fishermen whose lives ar e spent in

a W ab c ultiv ting th e hitst le oyster .

I e e far t is, tru th y do not have to seek their living from

and ea ar e home , for that r son not shrouded in quite so

‘ much romantic mystery as their brethren of the herring

Y e e sea . e t fl et , or th "deep trawler the dredger , who

a fe w the works along miles of coast , frequently encounters

' a m h e lin his live l a as s uc p ri y sm ck , those who have m

e and a to face it in deep r water larger bo ts .

This small v olume lays no claim to being an exh a ustive a W t e ccount of the hi stabl industry, though it may,

n r ad d a little e ar e pe haps, fr sh information for those who

n e d a i ter sted in oysters, an more especially i n the Roy l

W ’ e a . e ar . . My thanks speci lly due to Mr H Reev s ,

" ' ’ ' f Whitstab 1e fo r a o as o , ne rly ph tographs used

A CO R o . D . L LA ,

8 Bu cki ngham Street , Strand ,

W C London , . . L IST OF IL L U ST RA T ION S

FRONTI S PIECE Whit st ab l e Bay a nd H a r b o ur

The Wh t st ab e o e s i l Sl p . S o m e o ld r e ma ins o n the B each Pl ea se R e memb er the G ro tter A b it o f o ld Whitst ab le A m odern co rner o f Whit sta b l e I sle o f She ppey a nd River Swa l e

andm ar R ecu lver To wers . A L k A vestige o f the River Wa ntsu m e

' A a nt s Ch rch Wh t st ab le ll S i u , i

e a sa te r C r ch W tst a b e S l hu , hi l Tr ade Mark a nd S ea l s The Fl e e t at Anchor S pa t o n Oyst er She ll

n a The Be a nd Oar Old I nsig i . ll

The tr e et Wh t st ab e S , i l “ The Ke nti sh H oy G o od I nt e nt

’ A Flatsman s Ge ar

' The R oyal Vvhitsta b le N a tive Oyst er

’ ' z A N ative Oyst er . Ostr ea E a d z s “ ” A Po r tugue se Sho eho r n Oyst er C ulling Oyster s A Yawl b e ing t owed o u t Dredge s on the r ail L anding Oyst er s Butto n Oyst ers The B eehi ve Spa t Coll ecto r

te B r oo d at &c. Oys r , S p , Br ingi ng Oyst er s a sho r e

’ The Co mpany s S to r e s as seen fro m the B each The Lice nse o f Mor tmai n Shifti ng Oyst er s fr o m b oa t t o b oat

’ The C o mpany s S t or e a nd Office s LI ST O F IL LU STR A TI O NS .

Old S to re

Ro o m fewering Oyste rs i nto Pi t ou t o f Pi t

' s H all A Whit sta bl e Ya wl

Co mi ng H o me

Culling o u t Oyst ers in S tore

0 0

S a mian Ware fro m Puddi ng Pa n Rock

T o o we H em e Ba A and a e C c . m r h l k T r, y L k

A a ndm a ill . L rk

andm a Borsta l Mill . A L rk Carryi ng Oyste rs u p the b each

T H E OY ST E R A N D D R E D G E R S

E WH IT T B L O S A E .

Dotted round the coast of Great Britain ar e ‘ r o ns many small towns , which from being me e T w . " fishing villages have gradually developed into

ma co astin r s ll ports for g vessels , as well as summer resorts fo

a T O r j ded town dwellers . all Outward appearance the esidents

' b Of in diffe r e nce to wa r d s may exhi it an air visitors , though as a matter Of fact their arrival each summer is hailed with real

c Of b lw pleasure , for it is the ause much ustle and profit fo lo

invi o ing , probably , a very dull winter . To most visitors the g w r f rating sea air and ate are su ficient attraction , but there are others who seiz e the Opportunity of searching out all the interesting and historical places to be found in the neigh

b ttrhOOd n Of e O . I deed the resourceful residents some seasid

places seem to possess quite a genius for mapping out trips , r w e by land o water , to remarkable places , hich before , wer

‘ a alm o st u n wo r th Of loc lly considered y existence , and the w r guide books teem ith advice and assistance to the travelle . I t must be confessed that some Of these m od ernised seaside towns are in themselves not particularly attractive or

K a historical , causing a ent coast resident once to m ke the

r W can surprising rema k , hat you expect with land only on one side a nd se a water on the other I n spite Of the gu ide

' b k i at W the oo not be ng very much in evidence hitstable , locality is one around which many thrilling events have

I I '

O in E i v r n - ccurred nglish h story, and isito s eed never spend

d a e r e i le moments there if ctivity is pr fe red to eas , for intel

li e nt of a e as ' a cce ss g enquiry will reveal no end p l ces of y ,

C ese r worth visiting , of which anterbury alone d rves mo e e K t h than one pilgrimage , and if rurally inclined , th en is

a h woods , lanes , orch rds and op grounds are always beautiful .

The impression that a first glimpse of fi t “ W i a hitstable leaves on the m nd is , perh ps , I?l s e f a i h r tha of a bustling, thriving, h rdwork ng é igt ab e . t e fishing town , thoroughly and legitimat ly a its - l i bsorbed in own well being , and not who ly gnorant of

The Wh its t le l e a b S op s .

a its import nce . The smallness of the Older houses near the

' ' S a a and a hore is lso feature , some of t he w e athe r b oard e d cottages rather remind one of little D utch residences in

a u ' H oll nd , tho gh the former are not treated to quite so 1 2

w a W a e the ere o much hite p int . hitst ble do s not possess st

e a r an typ d front promen de , though f om artistic point of

v a e Of . a s iew this is no loss , for the irregul r lin quaint cott ge

l S om e o d rem a ins o n t he Beach .

’ and S i er at e a a h e hipbu ld s sheds th he d of the be c , th har r w a bou closely packed ith s iling vessels, and the stocks

h r h . u r r a r ar e on the s o e w ich support vessels nde going ep i , allm and u ost interesting picturesq e .

Another point which will not esc ape a Pleas e a a 18 r e m em b e r str nger s ttention , the absence of empty t h e e w e e e ” oyst r shells, hich might b exp ct d in G r ott e r . some ab undance where oyster cultivatIo n Is

u . Of u e r the chief ind stry The children , co rse , find a us fo

o e Of h u na s m in the construction grottoes , which t ey ill mi te

at a r night with piece of candle , generally on the fi st of

u Pro e e e the Aug st . bably f w peopl r member the origin of r Pleas e Rem em b e r th e G r ott e . I 4

O ld P r o tte r street petition , lease remember the g The children who give utterance to it do so without much refer

e its h S b e nce to appropriate day, w i ch hould really the

f 2 h O . t Festival St James , on the 5 July . The legend runs that when the remains of that holy man were being brought

P Of from alestine to Spain , which country he was the

a nd p atron saint , a knight his horse fell overboard . The

k w a s night saved without his horse , and , on being rescued ,

’ he i c t kn ght s lothes were covered with clinging oysters .

T Of his miracle , associated with the presence of the body H the . saint , was the origin of the oyster grotto owever b that may have een , and , although the incident did not o c t c ur in these parts , there is much tha is ancient and full

O f Old - b O f an time interest , a out the occupation the oyster

flatsm e n W b dredgers and of hitsta le ; and for the rest, there is much S cope for thought in the practical details of a

fishery which is , in some respects , unique . and on which S modern kill and science have had so little effect . The following notes have not been" put together with a view to

Of c n the scientific treatment a deeply interesting subj e t , o

b z which there are already many ooks of oological value . Moreover they contain references to a few things having “

but a remote connection with their title , though perhaps os n o t less attractive to the general reader , especially to th e K who live on the east coast of ent , and others who go

c . m av sa there for rest and hange I t , perhaps , be fair to y that they are an attempt to descri b e a thoroughly E nglish

Of a n marine industry, which so little is re lly know . Such notes must almost of necessity have somewhat of a mosai c

e ffect but even as mosaic work , viewed by a comprehensive

So eye , has a distinct charm , the collection and preservation

‘ ° ‘ ‘ Ir ote s w hich w of various fragmentary , other ise might

e , scape notice , may possibly be worth publishing l. A b it of old Whit st ab e 1 6

T he number of E nglish people who have never heard of

he W e t hitstable oyster must be very limit d, though the a ctual enj oyment of that seductive bivalve is preserved for

a a fe w r Of a comp r tively people , fo lack Opportunity or

a m e . some other r son I t is very rare , however , to eet anyone who does not at once seem interested when the r subj ect is mentioned . The mysteriously attractive flavou of a good oyster and its almost inexplicable effect on the

m od e rn co rne r o f hi le A W ts t a b .

palate , the romantic nature of its production, cultivation ,

and e m collection , create pleasurable impressions on th ind , which a greater familiarity only serves to increase The “ m a general public , who y only revere the native at a

e ar e a distance , and ven those , and they m ny, who will never Sharpen or ‘ satisfy their appetites with any other oyster

“ “ - ' e w i hails fr om Whitstab le OSsib l a b u than th one h ch , p y h ve t a vague knowledge of th e n atural history and habits of their

1 8

a r Old f vourite bivalve , o of its association with this little

a town , in spite of the paragraphs which ppear in the daily

a u E papers annually, bo t the time that nglish oysters come e into s ason .

N o a W a ccount of the hitst ble oyster, and i l Wh ts tab e . a Of K of the h rdy fishermen ent , whose

a w lives are spent in cultiv ting that luxury , ould be complete without a slight Sketch of the history of thi s small Kentish

w u a w to n of abo t inhabit nts, hich lies on the southern

a am w side of the estu ry of the Th es , east ard of the I sle of

h S r e m e mb r an ce d S eppey, that little pot so quaintly in

and w w Ingoldsby Legends , near here the aters of the

Medway and the Swale flow into the North Sea . I t is

s a situate at a di t nce of 5 9 miles from London by rail , and is within the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the diocese Of “ C u e C u inhab i anterbury, nder th Great h rch , the older

and D W F or a e . t nts still say, in the eanery of stbere marine purposes Whitstable is u nder the j urisdiction of the Port of

F ave r sham me a a , a so wh t obsolete rrangement .

We a e h v the assurance of Mr . Sibert Ori in Of g a e S und rs , who probably knows more of th e

Na m e . history of Whitstable and its speci al ind u stry

an a than y man living, that the records of the p rish are very

a 1 8 6 sc nty . I n 7 he gathered together those he w as able to

and discover , from them compiled a little book which he modestly entitled “ Some Account of the Church of All

P W a Saints and arish of hitstable . H e is prob bly correct

W r Old rd in deriving the word hitstable f om the Saxon wo s , wita n a a w sta le a , me ning an ssembly of ise rulers , and p ,

m . e w a arket I t rec ntly, ho ever, occurred to an arch eological visitor to the town to suggest that the F rench word for

' o hu z ir e w sta le e yster , , combined with the ord p , might be th I 9

e origin of the name , and he urged that presumption on th ground of early co mmunication with the people of France, who must have known it as a place at which to buy good oysters . The suggestion is certainly an ingenious one .

Among some valuable notes attached to the evidence t aken on oath in the Committee of the H ouse of Lords in

a nd m ar k. Recu lve r Tow e rs . A L

’ 1 866 o n a e e e , cert in bills promoted by th H rn Bay C a e Fishery omp ny , I find the following obs rvations

The Whitstable Company are a most ancIe nt body of 2 0

‘ re r ’ f e fishe s and dredgers , who , from father to son ,

a r have c rried on the business of an oyste fishery during , it

r at . is p obable , a period of least two thousand years I t

D 80 was a A . a bout . th t J ulius Agricola J u liu s ricola Ag , first exported oysters from the neigh A . O . 8 0 . b o ur ho o d of the Reculvers to Rom e , and for the ancestors of the Whitstable free dredgers Rom e w as u a B , d ring bout three centuries , their illingsgate .

I t might be the neighbourhood above indi Recu lve rs . cate d was W s hitstable , being only a few mile r w to the westwa d of Reculvers , hich , it will be remembered ,

a still S hows distinct evidences of the Roman occup tion .

m a and l Regulbiu the Rom ns called it , Reculver it is stil

a e c lled by some p ople , or Reculvers , in the plural , which

a a e has been dopted in recent ye rs , in referenc apparently

n ow to the twin towers of the ruined church there , preserved as an important landmark to vessels going u p l a e . We w and down ch nn know , ho ever , that formerly

m A ve stige of th e Rive r Want s u e . 2 1

e oysters were obtain d in great plenty at Reculvers itself,

Wantsu m e the River , no doubt , contributing that essential proportion of fresh w ater required to improve and fatten

r i Wantsu m e r the oyste . The R ver , the ancient bounda y

K now between the Isle of Thanet and this part of ent , is

a w a nearly dried up , though once an import nt ater highw y communicating with the River Stour by way of

E a Richborough . The Roman mperor , Severus Pertin x,

at R a built a castle eculvers , and there was mint for the

a of a coin ge Rom n money .

e Speaking of th Romans, and their known m ns nd Ro a a partiality for oysters at the commencement

a a r of their epicure n banquets , write in the — Ta ble once remarked alas , without giving his authority that “ it may not be generally known that the Roman

' E m r e sse s who p , were not always the most virtuous and

as devoted of wives , frequently employed the bivalve an agreeable method of administering poison to their lords—to f W say nothing O their lovers . hile not giving too much

ne ce s credit to this genial aspersion of the characters of a, sar il la y, limited c ss of Roman matron , it may be quoted as a b possi le indication that , in those days , the oyster was

a occasionally employed to give the happy desp tch , because

y as it enj o ed a reputation , among emperors , far above

S c o uspi i n as it should have with us in the present day, as we shall see presently when we come to the report of an a r eminent an lyst , though its high qualities are no longe employed to disguise such a base purpose . That the w P Romans themselves cultivated oysters we kno from liny, who tells us that in the days Of Lucius Crassus they were

' transferred from natural beds at Brindisi and - bred by O B Sergius rata in the Lucrine Lake at aiae , and in his letters Pliny makes frequent allusion t o oysters as an article 2 2 of diet and we learn elsewhere that cods -he ad and oyster au e a s ce were also appr ciated in those d ys .

When we remember what is known of the early state of re B G at ritain , we can scarcely be surprised that Sallust, who a C had a lived and wrote about fifty ye rs before hrist, r bette opinion of our oysters than of our ancestors , for he “ a B — h r s id , The poor ritons t ere is some good in them afte

ll— u n W b a they prod ce a oyster . hitsta le may certainly claim some share in creating th at good impression .

’ ll in h u r h h i l A S a t s c W ts t a b e . C ,

The parish church , as now seen The Ch u rch s - f e o dates from about the beginning of the Whits tab le fifteenth century , and the Oldest me a nd l morial in the church is a brass to the S eas a t e r . B a 1 0 memory of Thomas rede , d ted 44 .

and o ut This church i s a mile a quarter of the town , but

2 4

c u riously enough in the H igh Street stands the p arish

the n Of a church of adj oini g parish Seas lter .

' 1 2 n D u nstan s C In 5 4, Joh Roper, of St . , anterbury, b equeathed the sum of one hundred m ar e s to be Spent in making a horseway for the fisher wives and others in the highways from Whyte stap le to the entry o f the str eet of D W . C e St unstan , the est gate of anterbury . If this hors way were ever formed there seems to be no trace of it w no .

B H oth Ireland and asted , in their ela nd Ire la nd L , , K r e histories of ent , include eferenc s 3 “ "a d s “ ‘ which throw considerable light on the W r connection of hitstable , not only with the oyste fishery ,

' but also with the outside world . Leland also in the q uaint language of his day records that “ Whitstable in the time of

H r ar o che enry V I I . was a great fishe towne of one p ,

Pla z e C E belonging to y ollege , in ssex , and standeth on

- the se shore . Ther about they dragg for oysters . Ireland

D Str ab olie E o mentions the death of avid de g , arl of Ath l ,

1 2 r who died here in 3 7 , being then owner of the Mano of N w W ” a . orth ood , alias hitst ble

On the Opposite side of the Thames Ke nt a nd Es s ex E estuary lies the coast of ssex . A

F is h e rm en . certain amount of rivalry formerly K E existed between the fishermen of ent and ssex , of which there is evidence in certain letters addressed ,

1 8 C r H in 5 9 , by the Archbishop of anterbu y , the Lord igh

a E W C Tre surer of ngland , the Lord arden of the inque

P P a and H r orts , the Lord rivy Se l , the Lord igh Admi al ,

P B - to eter Marwood and John oys , requiring them to investigate a trespass committed by the E ssex m e n upon

W a the hitst ble fishery .

2 6

‘ time p arti ally h a uling up the ir dredges and lowering them E again a fter passing over it . The ssex men , following on

a c s wh at they supposed must be a profit ble our e , unconscious r of any dange , left their dredges down , and left they were

a " permanently, being entangled h rd and fast in the wreck The only consolation to the E ssex crew was to S hout out a promise to keep a tre at i n store for the Whitstable smack if

she ever paid a visi t to the Opposite shore .

W ih The H undred of hitstable , which H u nd red Of W w e ludes the parishes of hitstable , S ale

Wh its ta b le . c f B D d li fe and lean , is mentioned in ooms ay

B and Wite ne sta le ook , is there written p , and also

Wite sta le a W p . The M nor of hitstable , though called in some ancient record s the Manor Of Northwood

a VVhitsta le a lias p , seems to h ve lost its first alternative

2 0 a name , though there are about 5 cres in the

a adjoining parish of H erne , known by th e n me of “ N H u orthwood . The Manor , together with the ndred ‘ and C W a the hurch of hitstable append nt to th e Manor,

formed , in very early times , part of the possessions of w B C the o ners of the arony of hilham , being included

a W C mong lands granted by illiam the onqueror to Fulbert,

an a D C under arr ngement for the defence of over astle .

‘ 2 r d e r E z a I n the 3 y a of "ueen li beth , M a no r o f H e ne a e Thomas g , with the royal license , Whits t l a b e . e r W e ali nated the Mano of hitstable, and t n W W messuages in hitstable , to Thomas Smith of estenhanger, whose arms may be seen on the font cover in th e present

. H is w as 1 62 8 rea e church grandson , in , c t d Viscount

ra and in 1 0 a a e St ngford of I reland , 7 9 the M nor p ss d to

had r H enry Roper , Lord Teynham , who married a daughte

- of the grandson of the above named Viscount Strangford . 2 7

V H B a V ald e r shar e He . sold it to Sir enry Furness , ronet, of

H is 1 grandson dying in 73 5 , under age and unmarried , th e

b S co - a nd Manor ecame vested in his three isters as heirs ,

On a . a partition of the estates nno 9, George I I , was allotted

O f to Anne , the eldest daughter , wife John , Viscount

ed G . St . John , and thence pass to their grandson , eorge St

B the John , Lord Viscount olingbroke , who was Lord of

1 0 Manor in 79 .

The history of Whitstable is most closely Inro llm ent w interwoven ith its fishermen , who have a 8 0 0 1“ history and ancestry reaching back into the dim ages long past , of which they have j ust cause to be proud , though they are little given to boasting . It is not surprising that we can trace some of the family name s

K O u ham O such as Reeves , emp , and g "pronounced kum W U tt K in hitstable , and um in some other parts of ent) , back for centuries in the I nrollment Books preserved b y

W C We n w the present hitstable Oyster Fishery ompany . o Come to a period when an Opport unity occurred for them

- to grasp more firmly than ever their long established rights .

l. h T h r e rk. Th e P res ent S e T l e l e T ad M a a e O d S a .

I n 1 792 that portion of the Manor covered M a rine a rt p C by the sea , and over which the ompany of

Of M a no r . D r redgers had , from time immemorial , unde

o licence from the L rd of the Manor , the exclusive right 2 8

o f dredging and fishing, was separated from the dry p ortion . The marine portion of the Manor was, in that r year , sold with the royalty of fishing and Oyste beds to T r homas Foo d , who afterwards conveyed the same to the C D ompany of redgers , who thus became the

proprietors , an Act of Parliament having been Obtained in 1 793 by which they were incorporated under the title “ o f The Company Of F ree Fishers and Dredgers of

W e a C a hitstabl , with ommon Se l .

Th e Fleet at A ncho r .

The Act gave them power to hold a ye arly Wat e r Water Court by their steward and water

Co u rt . bailiff, for the admission of Freemen , and for

e F fo r r egulating th fishery . rom that time forward over a h w as a undred years , the business of the company m naged

u - by a foreman , dep ty foreman , and twelve j urymen , with a a - all w ter bailiff, of whom were elected annually at the er c . ourt held in J uly At the same court the treasur , a e uditor , and sal smen were appointed . 2 9

W C r This ater ourt , previous to thei F ree D red ge rs was incorporation , held by the Lord a nd a and of the M nor, in those days the Ap p rent ices . sons of strangers were admitted as

D e . Free redg rs , after an apprenticeship of seven years

For some years after the. formation of the company the eldest son of every freeman of the company was admitted S to membership at the age of ixteen , while the younger

a an sons , fter serving apprenticeship of seven years ,

- in received their freedom at twenty one . Many co n

ve nie nce s arising from this rule , not the least being the

a r pid growth in the number of freemen , caused the r Of 1 88 1 was escindment it , and in it arranged that only the eldest sons of freemen were to be enrolled for member

- ship at the age of twenty one . As only the services of a certain num b er O f the freemen were required to w ork

- the fishery , a class of non working members rapidly b t increased in num ers , and had to find o her occupations ,

' though they received one -third of a memb er s share of the

- profits , the additional two thirds , which the active

members received , representing the actual payment for

their labours . The widows of members , who also multi

c plied as time went on , by a charitable rule re eived the - i w same proportion as the non work ng members , hile sick members obtained very nearly full pay .

It is easily understood that this state Th e A “ t ind e fi nite lv of things could no go on , and Of l8 9 6 ‘ for the company to continue in a st ate of e prosperity some grave chang s had to be contemplated .

1 8 w ho Some gentlemen of position came forward in 95 , proposed to raise sufficient capital to buy the rights of all b those mem ers willing to sell them . An Act was duly Obtained in 1 896 enabling the members to sell their interests 3 0 in C the ompany . I t is understood that the promoters found d ifficulty “ in raising sufficient funds to meet the ‘ requirements and a t the expiration of three months they

e the e lv Co In s retir d from sc ne , ea ing the mpany posse sion

Of their Act, which they set about to utilise in the way h d e whic seeme b st to them . The result was that the

n l a C was b fix a t omina capit l of the ompany, ythe Act ed

‘ E ach Member of the Old Company w as

“ t 1 0 S t ar hereupon allotted twenty £ hares , and he sh es so allotted amount in value to which they can

r o wa and S etain or disp se of in any y th ey choose , the ame ‘ a pportionment was made to all those sons Of members

. a who were fourteen ye rs of age , duly enrolled on the

of the C a books omp ny at the passing of the Act , upon

r i - a s and if thei atta ning the age of twenty one ye r ,

n a a n o d u married , thus le ving bout still u all tte

C E the in the hands of the ompany . very widow who,at

i t e theAct was t im passed , enj oyed the advan ages of the old a charit ble rule , has a life interest of seven £ 1 0 shares which

C at he r e C m reverts to the ompany d cease . The o pany,

a and by the p ssing of this Act , became a public one , the S p ublic , as usual , soon got to know the value of th e hares e in this marin industry .

I n the Balance -sheet iss u ed under ln h Ba a ce S eet , 1 st 1 0 1 date g May , 9 , the value of the

1 9 0 1 . halfwar e stock of oysters , brood , and is put at being th e amount actually p aid for it by C the ompany , and does not include the enormous value of the spat which has been deposited by nature on the

’ C ompany s ground during the last four years . The

C B w a ompany is managed by a oard of five directors , ith

a wh o Old secret ry, also fills the office of treasurer , as he

e e —a r ceiv s the money and pays the men storesman , who 3 1

S p at o n Oys t e r S h ell.

s uperintends the working staff in the oyster depot ; a

i Of foreman , who controls the work ng the fleet ; and a

- c a a and water bailiff, whose duty it is to colle t the nchor ge

C and other dues payable to the ompany , who carries as a

Old badge of Office a small blue oar . The office of bellman is abolished , as the foreman himself communicates the orders for the day ’s work or “ stint by calling them out

a from the office steps . The members of the Comp ny no longer

me n take apprentices , and the supply of is kept up from

fl at e among the shareholders , and from sm n if the supply h fl h is s ort , preference being given to those atsm e n w o h ave

S a a been h reholders , but h ve sold their shares .

3 4

H e s 1 r e -tw o also mention that , in 73 4 , there we e tw nty

a a he bo ts eng ged in the oyster fishery, but that, at the time

1 0 s wrote , in 79 , there were upwards of seventy, beside six colliers and two hoys for passengers and goods . A

Kentish P ost or Ca nter bu r N ews L etter perusal of the y , and

a e u e other local p p rs p blished in the eighte nth century , gives a vivid impression of th e prevalence of smuggling W r t carried on by the smack owners at hitstable , f equen allusions being made to sei z ures of b randy and other r contraband goods , among which ostrich feathers appea

On e u a . t to have ranked high export ho se alone ,

C 1 68 b e S herbourg , in 7 , was said at the time to hipping

2 00 gallons of brandy a month , for smugglers to convey to

E . a ngland and Ireland A rather peculiar lantern , with funnel about six feet long, was used on board the smacks ,

a u which m de the light visible , witho t radiation , at the spot w e b e a S here the receivers w re known to w tching on hore .

e a Th contrab nd , once landed , was speedily distributed a mong the people of high and low degree, who ,

u scr pulously honest in other respects, did not hesitate to “ C C - do the ustoms if they had the chance . oal carts, w a n ith false bottoms, formed one means of distribution , d

a W a - a convenient one for hitst ble spirit runners, as l rge

w e a quantities of coal ere brought ther by sea for s le inland . D - I have in my possession a glass utch demi j ohn , covered

a in b sket work , which has a curious tale of its own , in that

it was tied to the stern -chain Of a Kentish hoy near

W a hitstable , which belonged to relative of mine, in order

that his skipper might be involved in trouble . The skipper, h who is still alive , says h e was able to clear his c aracter, though the Revenue men took him to Canterbury to

a explain m tters to the magistrates . A reliable tale is told

a of dredger, lately deceased , who was in all innocence

dredging for oysters , and had the misfortune to drag up a “ T h e Ke nt is h H oy G o od Int e nt .

a v e r v line of submerged br ndy kegs , at the time that a

H e Revenue vessel was trying to find them . dropped

them in hot haste and sailed away, for th e penalty, if his

action had been Observed , would have been a severe one . Brandy kegs were frequently sunk in this wav until the

w as coast clear , and the receivers , under cover of darkness ,

ableto recover them .

I n those days E nglish guineas fetched a rare price in

- a France , twenty eight shillings or their equiv lent not being

unusual . To satisfy this foreign demand for a sound E commodity, some nglish sailors , belonging to a vessel F sailing from aversham, proposed to take three hundred

c U guineas a ross the channel . nfortunately for these speculators the ship was detained at F aversham under

le ar m n suspicion , and g this in time , the sailors deposited their gold in a pot of tar . The vessel lav at Fav e r sha m for twelve months and was finally condemned to be 3 6 u

a n broken up d sold . Those who were in the know attended the sale , and again secured possession of the

a - guine s by buying the tar pot .

The collection of green copperas or green

Co e ras . p p vitriol used to afford occupation to a consider able number o f fishermen where it was to be found on the

H B a beach , being washed out from the cliffs near erne y. Six buildings specially built for the trade were used for the p urpose of manufacturing from this product of iron pyrites a black dye , ink , and the green crystals of sulphate of iron

a f e mployed s a tonic by doctors . A more rapid method O o btaining these products has been found by chemists, and

c Copperas is no longer colle ted in any large quantity . I t

. may not be generally known that copperas exposed to th e a we ther is soon reduced to powder, and can then be , e with gr at advantage , applied to improve the growth of S v egetables . An experiment also howed that a slight sprinkling produced a crop of grass twice as heavy as

re that grown on land which had not been so t ated . I t is a lso a good weed killer .

W There are still traces , too, at hitstable ,

S alt Pa ns . “ ” of some very early salt pans , and the memory of this medi aeval industry for obtaining salt by evaporation of sea -water survives in the name of the

a r neighbouring p rish of Seasalte .

At one time the fl atsm e n used to dredge Rom a n Cem e nt . z up boulder stones , about the si e of a

’ Of man s head , and sell them to manufacturers Roman

cement , but the more excellent qualities of Portland cement have deprived the fl atsm e n of that mode of making m oney . 3 7

N o s m fi hermen , not me bers of the

Flats m e n . Whitstable OVste r Fishery Company

1 8 6 w O n before the Act of 9 , are permitted to ork the C ’ ompany s ground , but there is a large body of men called

fl atsm e n C , not being members of the ompany , who obtain a

b dr halfwar e comfortable living y edging for brood , and w are , and selling them to th e company at a price fixed by

Flats m a n ’s e r A G a .

fl atsm e n those purchasers . These can , of course , only dredge over the public fishing grounds, to which the free

u f fl atsm e n dredgers also resort for the same p rpose . O the it may be truly said all is fish that comes to their nets, for, at fi ve -fi n e r s the proper seasons , they dredge also for g , w y mussels, helks, and cockles , and find a read market for all fi v e -fi n e r s , the g and mussels being bought up by farmers for manure .

3 9

The oyster is a mollusc or b ivalve shell What is a n fi Sh b ostre a , elonging to the genus , sub Oys t e r ? mono m a it class y , as has only one a ddu ctor muscle for closing the two halves of the valve or t - double shell . I t is a sof , cold blooded , invertebrate animal ,

an i n r n l withou t y te a skeleton . The shells are composed of c arbonate of lime with a small admixture of animal matter . ' U y it ha s nlike man molluscs , no foot or locomotive organ, though occasional motion m av be attained b v rapid e xpulsions of water . At least a h undred different species a r e w known to the naturalist in all parts of the orld , at varying depths and going back to such an early period of

y z y geolog as the palaeo oic , remains of the o ster are found in a great variety, all of which are believed to h ve descended

c by evolution from one common an estor , which lived in so

can remote an age that the mind scarcely realise it . I have lately seen a large number of fossili z ed oysters found during he t recent excavation for the new Staines reservoirs . At the same place were discovered several specimens of the

N a u tilus b y , still retaining the eautiful external pearl surface .

For the marvellous structure of the oyster there is no

' space in these notes , though passing reference must be m ade to one of its organs , the gills , which fulfil many more t r o ffices than hose of the fish for instance . I n the oyste they are a breathing organ . They purify its blood and

of keep up a circulation water . They gather up food from a y the water and c rr it to the mouth . They are also repro d u ctive organs , and brood chambers , and carry out all these duties in the most wonderful way . Thanks to the

r B painstaking investigations of D . rooks and Lieutenant

B - r W . B and e le e inslow in America , to M ouchon y in Franc , r and to other scientists at home and abroad , we can unde s tand things about the oyster which seem to have been a 40

A N at iv e s e r Os t r a d u lis . Oy t . e E

mystery to investigators of the origin of species . They have

m ostr ea vir inica ade it clear that the American oyster , g or vir inia na ostr ea a n u la ta g , and the Portuguese oyster , g , are represented by the two sexes separately, but that the

ostr ea ed u lis common oyster , , which is the one cultivated in B the ritish I sles , is hermaphrodite , and produces from a S ingle oyster both female eggs and male cells , though probably at different periods .

ostr ea ed u lzs I n the common oyster that we know best , , the - b eggs fall into the water tu e of the gills and lodge there , and the currents of water convey to them some of the male

e a e c lls , which on cont ct fus together, the male cell losing

42

There is one point about the oyster Op en ing Oy s te rs . that must have struck anyone w ho has t ried for the first time to open one , and that is the enormous - t enacity with which it is able to resist the human enemy ’s

a at attack and remain closed , and yet so e sily opens its own D B sweet will . r . rooks clearly explains this power by r eference to the inanimate ligament wedged in between th e tw o a i ac s k a shells near the n rrow hinged end , wh ch t li e

- W ar e p iece of india rubber . hen the shells forcibly closed

’ by the oyster s livm g adductor muscle the ligament is

z . e squee ed , and expands again when it is released Th ligament is formed , like the shell itself , by an accretion from the living tissues of the oyster , and its action is not under the control of the animal . I t keeps the shell open at a ll c o times , unless it is o unteracted , and for this reas n an oyster at rest and undisturbed , or a dead oyster , always has S its hell open . This adductor muscle i s made up of a bundle o f th e contractile fibres , which run across body between the and shells, are fastened to their inner surfaces over the

- d ark coloured spots which are seen on empty oyster Shells .

To those who are not deeply versed in the natural history o f c th s the oyster , but are disposed to in rease knowledge of m it that they already possess, I venture to recommend the “ O D r W K B e to . . . read The yster, by rooks , which h d escribes most truly as a popular ’ summary of a scientific

i w or k it w study , but on whose valuable is not possible to dra further here . The spawn is emitted from th e oyster Oy s t e r S p a w n . in immense quantities , like a puff of s moke , estimated variously to contain from to some millions of organisms , of which very few indeed ever reach m aturity, which , perhaps , i s j ust as well for some of the o th er inhabitants of the sea . 43

w The spawn , or spat , is at first hite and apparently y b w lifeless, turns gre and then lack , at hich last stage it S visibly springs to life . The pat floats in the water for a few days, and , if it be not carried out to sea , nor killed by y b cold , nor swallowed b fish , it falls to the ottom to anchor i tself by a sticky substance with which it is provided , like

a all bivalves that require ttachment , to a shell or the side of some other hard substance , to which the general term “ cultch is applied . Thus early the oyster endeavours to secure a position in life , where it is least likely to run the risk of being smothered by sand during a rough sea, or o therwise destroyed at once , as it probably would be , if it settled on the top of its anchor shell , stone , tile , or other S o . bj ect It settles , too , with its deep or left hell uppermost , the flat or right shell being next the ground to insure s b teadiness , as well as to ena le th e oyster to ej ect sand or i grit , which it could not do so well if ly ng the deep shell l d . ownwards A so , adhering by the deep shell , it is able more easily to drop off the cultch , which it is known to b e w able to do in springtime , when the gro th takes place , a s with trees and plants .

Dr edgers are most careful to return all cultch to the w ater , and even when empty oyster shells , still adhering at the hinge , called clocks , are dredged up , they have strict o wi rders to part the clocks before thro ng them overboard .

y The tint of the o ster shell , like many other living things, m atches the prevailing colour of its surroundings to a void attracting attention , which was probably not the o c C bje t in view of a ourt dressmaker, who recently p roduced a costume described as made of “ oyster satin p ompadour brocade . If the spat falls on the mud it w p erishes at once , if on eed it perishes with the weed but 44

if it falls on a clean bottom of cultch , it adheres to the hard O substance and there grows . ysters are not improved by being kept in tubs of fresh water, as they are sometimes by the oyster merchant . They can be kept much better in a cool place , by being laid out, deep shell downwards , in order “ ” that the j uice , as it is called , may not run out , and they ar e even said to improve in substance and flavour by that means .

The oyster , on attaining a separate h e e Th e T r Age s n existe ce , goes through the several f t h O e Oys te r . halfwar e stages of spat , brood , and

a Six w re , or oyster , a year marking each stage . At , or better e still , seven years of age , the oyster has reach d perfection for the epicure . The suitable temperature of the sea during

6 2 spawning time has been found to be degrees fahrenheit .

The oyster usually spawns in April or May at the age of S three years , and is said to be ick until the end of J uly, and I to be in prime condition by September . As an nstance that the oyster sometimes disregards these periods it m ay

1 N 1 00 be mentioned that one opened on the st ovember , 9 , at H B a a erne y, was bout to spawn .

B F O C 1 8 a y the isheries "yster, rab , and Lobster) Act , 77 , close -time for the dredging and sale of deep sea oysters

1 th is fixed from the 5 th June to 4 August , and for all other

1 th kinds of oysters from 4th of May to 4 August , except S oysters taken in the waters of a foreign tate . Foreign oysters , temporarily deposited on E nglish beds for p urposes o f

- storage only, do not come within this close time regulation .

l E and to This Act app ies to ngland Scotland, but not

- r o Ireland, which , under another Act , has a close time f m

1 st 1 st ar e May to September , except where the dates W O varied by the inspectors of fisheries . The hitstable yster r C u llin g Oyst e s .

F ishery Company voluntarily extends the close -time for “ D 1 st . natives till P artridge ay , th e of September The - customary observance of a close time for native oysters, chiefly in order that spawning may not be interfered with , has given rise to the popular impression that oysters should only be eaten in the months which have an R in th eir

composition , though this rule does not affect foreign

a W . oysters , which can be obtained all the ye r round hen

“ b a the brood stage has een re ched , or at a later period, the oyster can be dredged up from the flats to which it has Ya w l in d u t A b e g t o w e o . w andered , and be removed to other grounds better adapted

1 8 6 C a for fattening . I n 9 the omp ny were favoured by a h eavy spat of which they are now beginning to reap the

a 1 00 adv ntage , and in the year 9 again the spat was

an who plentiful , causing experienced diver , descended

o n a quite recently to report damage alleged to be done by,

N a orwegian b rque , which dragged her anchor in a gale of “ wind and grounded on the beds, to remark that it looked a r e u lar K w g londike , so plentiful ere the oysters and spat he observed .

There was an extraordinary fall of spat H ea vy fa llof 1 0 1 during the summer of 9 , especially on S p at . K the entish flats , many shells and cultch

flatsm e n being literally covered with it . The worked B several tides on a small piece of ground off ishopstone , B H called oulder ole , which is surrounded by sandstone 47

s w a s rocks , and high boulder bank . I t blowing a hard east

a e wind , and when the water had risen consider bly , som deep -keeled Colchester smacks slammed in alongside the

fl atsm e n , and worked until high tide , hauling their dredge s

‘ w n v - w up through t e t four feet of ater . They delivered

l D redge s o n t h e ra i .

’ C a te n their catch to the ompan y s Store , mounting to ’ W washes a boat for one tide s work , and hitstable people said they had never before seen so much brood delivered y stacked up as it was like a ha stack .

I t is difficult always to explain the reason for th e

' b S uncertain presence or a sence of pat . A very cold spring time might cause inj ury to the spat , or prevent the oyster

fi ve spawning freely, or the advent of a large quantity of

fi ve -fi n e r s rayed starfish , or g as the fishermen call them ,

B u t t n o Oys te rs .

a The oyster has m ny marine enemies . E nem ies Of - The sea urchin , for instance , feeds on it . t h e Oyst e r . fi v -fi n e r The e g is a deadly foe . I t

and clutches the oyster in its long fingers , holds on some

fi v e -fi n e r times for days , till the mollusc opens, when the g instantly inj ects what i s supposed to b e a stupefying

’

. liquid , followed by the creature s stomach , which shoots

S fi ve into the open hells and devours the oyster . The

fi n e r t -fi sh d g , or common s ar , must be istinguished from the

- -fi sh -fi sh multi rayed star or sun star , which is very different

. on close inspection and much larger, and has twelve rays

ua W b a us lly . The Museum at hitsta le contains perfect

-fi sh star with eleven rays . I have heard that the sun SI

. -fi sh fi ve -fi n e r t star devours the g species , though that is li tle W w n . co solation for the oyster hen the oyster is ill or eak ,

nd c a unable to keep his shells closed , the crab se ures a b meal without trouble , and is even elieved to sometimes craftily insert a stone to prop open the shells of the healthy r oyster while he akes out its body .

The dog-w helk possesses a file -like w eapon with which

an it bores a hole in the oyster shell , and inserts instrument ,

c through which it sucks out the j ui iest part of its prey .

A long -continued hard frost is almost sure to destroy

e c y a great many oyst rs , to avoid whi h , some ears ago , an E ssex oyster grower placed a large number of o vste r s in

H B av h the erne swimming bath , in the hope of saving t eir

was lives , though the result not very satisfactory .

' E W B a Mr . . F . heeler , of H erne y, has patented an ingenious arrangement made

z a of earthenware , of the si e and appe r

Th B hi e ee ve S p a t Co ll ecto r . 5 2 ance of an old -fashioned beehive pi e rced with holes and

c filled with ommon oyster and scallop shells , into which S C pat enters freely and remains till collected . uriously

’ fi sh e r m e n s enough , chitters, the name for young barnacles , which grow freely even on oysters themselves , do not find t heir way inside these patent beehives , settling on the o utside only . I n other parts of the world bundles of faggots , anchored about a foot off the ground , have been f and ound successful in attracting the spat , in France tiles l coated with whitening , ime , or cement , for the easy

a removal of the spat , are found to be adv ntageous in this r espect .

B Two miles from ergen , in 0 Wi red Fa s cm e s N orway, there is an enclosed I n No r w a y - artificial oyster breeding lake , where another method of cultivation is employed . Stout wires are

- stretched across the lake below water level , and from these wires thinner wires are suspended to which birch faggots o r fascines are attached about one foot from th e ground .

As these birch faggots do not last very long, the owner

r H e p oposes to use j uniper branches in future . abandoned e the use of tiles som years ago . Sometimes a raft on b a rrels is moored out in the lake , on which men can stand

h ar e to aul up the faggots which fastened to it . The area

o f this lake is about ten thousand square yards , and the sea water in it is kept u p to the desired level by sluice

a gates . The requisite addition of fresh w ter comes off th e

land and in the form of rain , th e lack of this supply lately

h aving prevented the oysters fattening . I n a good year

t b a his lake supplies a out a million oysters for m rket . The n ortherly situation of Norway accounts for the spat there not being produced till the end of August and beginning of

September . The oyster i s th e same Species as that 5 3

W a d u li ostr e e s . cultivated at hitstable , The beds are closed O w from April to ctober , and the depth of ater over them ° -fi ve 1 6 is about twenty feet , with a temperature of ° ° centigrade at the bottom and 2 4 to 2 5 at a level of six t B fee from the top . There is another bed , near ergen , which is only supplied with sea water at high tide in rough weather , by washing over the rocks which intervene .

W c herever oyster cultivation is arried on , the great point seems to be that whatever material is used for the

c spat to settle on , it must be quite lean and free from

ste ad v . slime or any impurity, to insure close and adhesion

E ven glass does not present too smooth or Slippery a surface . I ndeed the oyster seems to b e quite indifferent to what material it thrives on so long as it is clean , and some of the illustrations Show to what strange things oysters have

c The D a il b een found adhering . There was a referen e in y

Tele ra h 2 th D 1 0 1 g p , 7 ecember, 9 , to the old battleships of N the Turkish avy, and it was stated that the dock hands

c where the vessels are lying , oc asionally enj oy a good meal of mussels and oysters taken from the bottoms of those vessels .

I n order to afford fattening for th e nin Fatt e g Oys t e rs . best oysters , the soil on which they t lie must be of a particular character , and the water tha covers them must be neither too fresh nor too salt , but a W due admixture of the two . The hitstable fisheries have b the requisite advantages of oth soil and water , and the great superiority of R oyal Whitstable natives over almost y all other oysters is mainl owing to these advantages . The

y e native is the most hard , as w ll as the best of all

e oysters , in the opinion of comp tent j udges . I t has a hard ,

c y S w y o v ste r s symmetri al , pearl hell , hereas man other are 5 4

- O st b o o d on full own o st s . 2 . Sh l l s Showin fi l m s built u b o st 1 . y er r gr y er e g p y y er d s s s w k f s . to exclude i ea ed growth . 3 O y ter an chored t o t o lin s o chain

s . P utton o t . P i with o b ood in bowl 6 o d inkl . . i B tw . . B o o n W 4. y er 5 p e r r e 7 p e 9 o s m . . "n S 0 . o d R o s wo at a l at . h ll with at 1 i ht and v b S . S s s R c ere y r p e 9 e p . g l ft hand d wh lk. 1 1 . C ab with b o o d on it s ba k. 1 2 B o od on b ok n e e e r r c . r r e s 1 Vlh l 1 o ck o f tu bl 1 . Sh l l with m u s l s . e h l l o d on n old m . k s s . B er 3 e e 4 e . 5 r e otti 1; e . 5 5

’ said to have a rim of chalk round the inside . The Royals “ ” a r e N small and specially selected from the atives, and hence their high excellence and price .

The fresh water w hich contributes so

Fres h Wat e r . much tp the high quality of the Royal Whitstable oyster is neither that of the Thames nor th e w w w e Medway, both of hich , probably , s eep ide of th se

h Bringing Oys te rs a s o re .

“ b u t w beds , the two or three streams or freshets hich flow off the marsh -lands b etw e en and Faversham C t reek , over the beds and fla s . These small streams Obtain some warmth from the sun in their narrow courses , and perhaps convey certain s eeds of water plants and other m products which ake for fattening , and supplement their

e m i r i marin diet of infusoria and c o sc0 p c vegetables . Too m u ch fr e sh wa b ad ey e , ter is for oysters , for th may becom 5 6

. K too fat and die The drought which prevailed in ent , as i n

E 1 0 1 s other parts of ngland in 9 , was the cau e of very little

o W 0 fresh water c ming off the land near hitstable . T this Shortage of rainfall is attributed the fact that the oysters there did not fatten properly, and failed to reach the high w excellence of former years . The greatest depth of ater

’ C 2 2 over the ompany s beds at any tide is feet , and the 6 least depth feet . This is very different to the celebrated C B beds at ancale in rittany and other places , which are left high , and practically dry , at low tide , and where it is an interesting sight to wat ch the fishermen and women r arranging and sorting the oysters , and selecting those fit fo

ar e market . The bay in which these beds situate i s very f large and well protected by high clif s , but it seems odd that the raised artificial banks between the various beds should remain perfect for any length of time as they appear to do .

Careful culture of the oyster beds is of course one of the

fi r st- requisites for the production of rate oysters , and it is not improbable that it is owing to gre at care i n cultivation W that the hitstable natives have , for years past , even sur “ ” a in O p ssed popularity the old favourite Milton ysters , which were formerly heard of among the cries of London , and which were fattened on beds near to the Whitstable

a grounds . I t is liter lly true to say that the oyster beds at

W a hitstable are as carefully prepared and m intained ,

a w though alw ys under water , as if they were flo er beds on shore .

I n view of the typhoid scare which h n ca r Typ o d S e . z sei ed on the p ublic mind , and caused

a t-he for a time great diminution in the sale of oysters, Whitstable Oyster Fishery C ompany i n 1 895 called in the

5 8

m a S n i purveyors of food . a itary j am , sanitary preserved p ineapple , sanitary lobsters , and so on , might attract much c tom o us fr m careful housekeep ers .

The tot al extent of the Whitstable fish eries i s somewhere

la about six square miles . Like other rge oyster grounds, the e ar ts b e n quality varies in different parts , som p i g more

fi t a for breeding oysters than for fattening, but a great p rt Of being better adapted for fattening . this total extent of ‘ o VJhitstab le O C yster beds , th e yster Fishery ompany own the ick a 1 p , being bout % miles from north to south , and two miles from east to west , the actual laying ground b eing a mile square , th e rest being used for moorings,

a r marked off by fixed beacons in the sh llow water, o “ Shalls a "pronounced shawls) , as they are known loc lly, and b f y moveable anchored beacons like sca fold poles , in d eep water, guarded day and night , all the year round , by

m in T he Lice ns e o f M o rt a .

5 9

' ' the C C ompany s three watch boats . Adjoining the ompany s ” ground to the westward is the Pollard o yster fishery of a a lmost equal extent , but not lways wholly under water like

’ the C ompany s . The Pollard fishery was formerly held by the Company under a license of mortmain from the D ean ' C C C . and hapter of anterbury athedral , who are the owners

T he C a ompany g ve up this fishery when times were bad, a nd b it is now worked y a syndicate .

R unning along outside the grounds of those Th e O l fisheries lies the Faversham yster Fishery , and F at s . still further out to sea i s the H a m Oyster

’ F On H av e r sham isheries . reference to Jacob s istory of F it appears that a company of Free D redgers existed there

H A D 1 D in . . . 1 the time of enry I I , , 5 4, from whom the utch

bought large quantities of oysters .

E astward of the Whitstable fisheries and stretching zfor K several miles along the coast of ent are other grounds,

o f many parts which , in the quality of the soil and of the

water , possess , though in a less degree , some of the advantages f W o . the hitstable grounds The chief advantage , however, which the Whitstable Company ’ s beds possess over these

public grounds is , that a natural bank of boulders and “ s W hingle , still called hitstable Street , runs out into the

’ s e a C at the eastern side of the ompany s ground , and ,

as a breakwater , gives some protection to the shallower

p arts , which is not enj oyed by the corresponding portions “ O f the more easterly grounds . This Street is supposed

to have a Roman origin , and at very low tides traces of

b n uilding foundations have been seen . I t is o w largely

c overed by shingle .

N orthward and eastward of Whitstable therefore is a

l a arge extent of oyster grounds or fl ts , probably about 60

a l S thirty squ re mi es , on which some of the pat of oysters fall , if they escape the beds .

S hift in O s t s f o m g y e r r b oat t o b oat .

E w All the true native oysters sold in ngland , ith the E exception of those obtained from the ssex coast , are

from these flats , and all others are known as ” foreigners .

I mmense quantities of oyster brood Fo reign Brood are b rought from France and else r Oys t e s . W where , to fatten on the hitstable

beds, where the various kinds are carefully kept separate .

The importation of foreigners , however, is no new thing, for the Kentish Ga z ette of 1 769 "March 1 8 to March 2 2 ) contains the following advertisement This is to acquaint

' allP ersons th at the Oyster -men s C ompany of Whitstable have agreed to lay out upon West Country Oysters the

T he Old r S t o e .

Pa kin c g Roo m . Low e ring Oys t e rs int o Pit .

f Pit Ha u ling Oyst e rs o ut o . 65

building took its place , from which ten to fifteen million o ysters are distri b uted annually to numerous customers in

K O n ar e the U nited ingdom and abroad . the ground floor t w the offices and he storehouses, in hich latter part are the y tanks , where o sters can be placed temporarily if not ‘ immediately required for sale . The two tanks measure

0 2 0 e 0 b y 250 3 feet by fe t, and 4 feet feet , and contain an a e b verage depth of 5 fe t of sea water, o tained through a

lar lv . d av pipe r e gu once a . They hold about four hundred

ovste r s . thousand , suspended in bags

T h e ’ Com p a ny s H a ll.

On the upp er floor is a large hall where the meetings of th e Co m a nv p are held .

T he various measures used at Whitstab le for b uying and s e lling brood and oysters are as follows A tub contains th e sam e quantity as the old Winchester 66

u 2 1 b shel preserved in the museum of that city, which is

I and gallons quart ga pint .

A wash is a quarter of the above quantity, that is, about

b fl atsm e n si gallons, and is the measure y which the sell C their catches to the ompany . The price per wash was

s 3 recently reduced from 7 . to 5 . owing to the abundance of

a a 8 . oysters c ught on the flats , but it has gain been raised to 7

a wash . I b f . tU "g O a . 1 g, of a wash or 1 5 of a tub .

A prickle , the measure indicated on the seal and trade

a of I O r m rk the company, is roughly about gallons o half a

tub . This basket measure is made of cane .

Professor Rogers states that “ Fellows of Winchester

‘ lar e u antitie s consumed g q of oysters by the pottle , a measure containing two quarts still used in the sale of

vegetables and fruit in some parts of E ngland . These F ’ C ellows were members of St . Mary s ollege , founded at

W s W VV ke ha m 1 8 o ne inche ter by illiam of y in 3 7 , and now E of the chief public schools of ngland .

A 2 a tierce , known i n the wine trade, contains 4 g llons, and a tub seems to contain what the half of that si z e of

a W b rrel would hold . The inchester bushel is not the only measure of those e arly days which is still utilised by special

’ a fo r I d s tr des, , am told , that wholesale chemists supply octor

with some drugs in bottles, that hold about two quarts and 3 th W 5 of a pint , which they call a inchester quart . This Winchester quart bears the same rel ation to the ordinary

a W s l qu rt , as the inchester bushel does to the ordinary bu he

1 82 of eight gallons instituted in 6 . 67

The expression , fishing or oyster s t e r m a cks Oy S . m a smack , v be regarded as a general description of the two classe s of the decked sailing vessel

hi s le Y l A W t t ab a w . W employed in the fisheries . The vessel called at hitstable a - yawl is the most common , being a clinker built boat, with

I 2 overhanging counter , of from O to 5 tons burden . She is

- cutter rigged , having a boomed mainsail , a topsail , foresail , ib - and ", though by rights yawl rig is incomplete without a

- mi z z en mast and sail . This is the class of vessel which the old smugglers used . The other and far less numerous class

s calle d of boat i a borley . She is chiefly distinguished from 68

l A Bo r ey.

a - the y wl by her straight cut stern like a rowing boat , and r he boomless upright mainsail , which , though enabling her

H e r to sail nearer, offers less canvas area to the wind .

a b or le s burden is bout fifteen tons . These y are often seen

w ar e . on the Thames, here they chiefly used by shrimpers

W a hether floating at nchor in the bay , drifting along in

all a light wind with sails set , or bustling along in a strong

z a bree e with furled tops ils, the picture these smacks make is

a m always full of interest , though to the str nger their ove

z z ments are very pu ling .

a the I t is pretty sight, and one I h ave often enj oyed from w w H B a indo s of the old home at erne y, to watch a fleet of

7 1

“ C E he can recall , is young Squire ollard , of ddington , whom he remembers as a good sportsman and keen follower to hounds .

s t t w The smacks alway wor k square with he ide , for to ork

fi she r against the tide in anything of a wind would , as the “

y . men sa , swim the dredges right off the ground I t i s obvious, as these comparatively light dredges have to work d with the ti e , a steamboat that cannot travel broadside on

c like a sma k under sail is of no use , an obj ection which does not arise in trawling for fish , a different and heavier description of net and tackle being employed , which renders following the tide unnecessary . I n America some

‘ of the fishermen do dredge from steamers , but have to use C heavy dredges, and in onnecticut it is asserted that these y i r heav dredges mprove the oyster farms rather than inj u e l them .

We cannot be s ure when the present type of fishing smack came first to be used b y the free dredgers and

fl atsm e n , and the expression smack seems to have an equally obscure origin . Little change has probably been

c made for at least three enturies , though no doubt decked boats gr ad u allv took the place of earlier undecked sailing craft and open rowing boats , with or without lugsails .

b The open rowing oat can even now be used , for recently I y E had the pleasure of assisting m nephew , dward

C H B a in ff Maynard ollard , of erne y, dredging from one o

H e on the flats . is an enthusiast the subject , and full of n t i forma ion , owing to the keen interest which he takes in W all appertaining to the hitstable oyster and its culture .

74 ,

A dredge is the implement used , Th e

from time immemorial , for dragging O s t D d y er re ge . the oyster from the bottom of the sea . I t is of triangular form , stoutly made of wrought iron, to “ r 18 h which the necessary igging attac ed . The iron “ ring passes through a hole in the “ heel or “ rest w hi ch hooks on to the bulwark when the dredge is about to be lifted on board . The three iron bars radi ating from “ “ the the - keel are called limbs, and the cross tie i s called

“ ’ w ar b in r b the . The way in which the ends of this wa in a r e twisted round the two outer limbs is noticeable .

The ends of these two outer limbs are united by a flat ” b ar with a blunt edge , called the bit , which scrapes up the oyster, and a good deal else that comes in the way . “ ” The dredges used on the flats have a link ba ck or “ ground of wire rings, made and wired together by the On fishermen themselves . the beds this wire netting would

e . e be too rough , and hide is us d instead Th upper netting

a in both cases is made of twine . The netting is f stened on “ “ a - to the dredge by hide lacings . The c tch stick to “ ” w and hich the link back is fastened is of holly, the two side sticks of oak .

B etween the catch stick and the twine net ar e three rows “ o f a wire netting called the bonnet, which t ke the weight a nd pressure when the net is filling .

E ach smack works what is known as a fleet of five or s ix a b ow dredges . The two heaviest dredges dr g from the , two of medium weight from midships , and the two lightest from the stern . I n this way the dredges are kept clear of

a e ch other , the smack , of course , sailing and drifting with

a w ind and tide . The crew consists usu lly of four men on

76

“ shalls the and three on the flats , the skipper taking the stern dredges and steering . The lightest dredges are at the stern, to avoid , as far as possible , the chance of a littl e e w ’ xtra eight pulling the ship s h ead round . A dredge

H lin a u g Dredges .

- fi ve weighs about eighteen to twenty four pounds, with pounds extra for rigging . The rope or warp is fastened

’ fi she r m an s a to the ring by a bend , and , to prevent the w rp e h w h b ing chafed , the ring is bound round wit canvas, hic “ is called the puddening . The warp is coiled on deck , with the end buoyed , and is only secured to a cleat by a “

o h . sh rt lengt of twine called the stop If the stop breaks,

s and the dredger cannot hold on to the warp , it goe

r can b e ove board , and the buoy marks the spot where it picked up on the next tack by one of the hands in the

’ a h s sm ck s boat . I t appens sometimes that the dredge get

a a t c ught so firmly in a rock , or perh ps a weir stump , tha

78

’ P I 8 Gentlema n s I n art . , page 7 , of the Ph e no m ena l M a a z ine 1 8 e g , of 7 4, the following not

Low id es . “ T O n Satu r d r r d occurs y morning, 3 a all K J nuary, there was a lower ebb tide along the entish

has and the coast th an been known for many years, in

v . B a e ening a very small flood At Reculver, the l ck Rock as e s "it is called) being left dry, th foundation of the a ncient parish church were discovered , which had not ” been seen for forty years before .

I am indebted to a friend for the following a ccount of

e an exceptionally low tide , which disclosed for a short tim “ — On r d some of the secrets of the flats the 3 of March , W 1 8 6 S . . 9 , owing to a heavy gale, which had blown with much force all the previous night, the tide ebbed to the lowest point that had been known w ithin the memory of

O a s the oldest inhabitant . nly those that av iled themselve

“ a of the sight can re lise the varied formation of the soil ,

and consisting at places of large sand cement stones, rock ,

n blue a d yellow clay, among which might be seen the trunks

a a of l arge trees l ying as they fell , showing th t land once

I extended far outside the present shore . At i miles from

B a W H erne y shore , it was perfectly dry on the eir Rand ‘ "commonly pronounced Ware and the long rows of wooden stumps that were revealed showed the remains of ancient fi shing weirs, which , probably, were those that

a o H paid tithes to the Parish of H erne centuries g . ere and

e at ther on the stumps were dredges, lost various times by

fl atsm en a a coming fast , and the w rps bre king, perhaps,

z in a strong bree e .

B At Reculvers , the lack Rock dried entirely, and could

B B a be walked to from the shore , and the rocks in eltinge y

B a alldried out as far as the Stone ank . L rge quantities of 79

to r . lobsters, oyste s, and brood were picked up It is said be over sixty years since such a remarkable occurrence took place .

H A letter, written by Rev . John unt, Weir and — C 1 0 th 1 6 2 1 urate of J Ierne , dated August , , i i h We r T t es . declares the following tithe charge to b e

m e m o r v H e the ancient custom beyond the of man .

G ra ve ne y We ir s .

B w ho h d . a had the books of Mr rydges "Vicar , them

. tithe in of Mr John son Item , For g every deep

2 s 1 2 d the r ware "fishery) , . of every landware . For y mullet netts I have compounded "and others before me) fo r ”

5 d . . s V I 8 s . d 3 4 . sometimes 5 . , sometimes . for the year .

Fishing weirs are a source of annoyance and loss to dredgers , and are no longer permitted to be built , as they

a e s obstruct the n vigation . The stumps of on of these weir 80

are visible at low tide near the end of H erne B ay Pier to

a a the e stw rd . At one time they probably formed the

a princip l means of catching fish . There is still an old one W in use at Graveney, near hitstable . I t i s built of oak

G r n ave e y We irs .

d posts driven in about six feet apart , and stan ing a height varying from one foot to six feet above the ground at low tide , the spaces being filled in with transverse timber . The

witlthe weir is shaped like the letter V, r point out to sea , h t is pointed end being enclosed like a box , called the “ pound the wide end is left open . As the tide recedes ,

fish in the weir are unable to escape . Large quantities of fi sh used to be wasted by want of attention in collecting them when caught , and weirs got into bad repute on

a that account , as they did also for nother reason, as the following cutting from the Kentish Ga z ette of D ecember go th

r d 1 86 to January 3 , 7 , serves to show 8 1

d Last Thurs ay night a boat , with four men in it , ran W b foul of a weir, near hitsta le , by which accident the boat was sunk and the men were all unfortunately drow ned ;

‘ this makes the number sixteen that have perished b v this

ve r v w machine , which is of little or no use to the o ners,

r o w yet it continues to obst uct the navigation , and , as it ere , ” - to sport with the lives of our fellow creatures .

Many are the odd and interesting things

Fm“ 0 “ th e ' “ ‘ 1 "la l"t 0 I o b f the flat5 m an b o b t l D ht 3 in the Flats . his c course of sear h for oysters , mussels ,

fi v e -fi n e r s H e cockles , whelks , and g . has a fair knowledge now of the value of anything unusual , and preserves it, though in years gone b v m a nv ar chze o logicalrecords must “ t have been shaded through the por holes , unless an

n ock S am ia n Wa r e fro m P u d d ing Pa R . occasional perfect Samian pot w ere thought good enough to grow flowers in at home , or a precious basin were saved for

P Pie the udding Pie , elsewhere known as Lent , which the true Whitstable household indulges in once a year on W y Ash ednesday . Man of these treasures have come from 82

P u i d in P a n H Ba g Rock , which is situate due north of erne y C lock Tower, the edifice erected by Mrs . Thwaites , who was

e e P u nch so m rcil ssly chaffed in the pages of fifty years ago .

Th e Clock o w e r H e rn e Ba . T , y

A L a nd m a rk.

This rock , which is never dry, is half a mile long and thirty

perches wide . I t is covered with loose stones of different

z si es . I t runs east and west , right in the passage from the N W buoy of the Spaniard to the arrows or oolpack , about - R three miles north west from eculvers , and about five miles

- W north east from hitstable . There are said to be plenty of 83

H y o ysters on it . asted especiall describes a curious thin

z pan of red earth , covered with dusky brown gla ing, made w two in the form of a sugar basin , ith handles and a foot ,

fi ve c being inches in diameter, its external cir umference

being ornamented with foliage . The most reasonable theory to account for the quantities of pottery found here is that some vessel freighted with these goods was once cast

away on this rock , and her load dispersed from time to time

w w We by force of ind and ave . cannot , however , ignore the possibility that when Samian ware was manufactured the I sle of Sheppey may have extended as far eastward as R Pudding Pan ock , of which there are slight indications, the tradition that the Goodwin Sands opposite Ramsgate w ere b once habita le being some assistance in that speculation . The underwash of the sea is gradually sweeping away the

c unprotected earth cliffs of this part of the coast , a pro ess b which has een going on for thousands of years , and has in my own recollection toppled over many acres of land W between hitstable and Reculvers . Mammoth tusks are h 8 brought to lig t in this way , a pair about feet long having y been found at Swalecliffe onl a few weeks ago . Specimens b of submerged Samian ware have een often described , and

’ c Mr . Sibert Saunders very fine colle tion is well known .

Among many other curious things that the dredge has found for the Whitstable Museum I may mention a few

- y A left handed whelk shell , of which there is probabl not

c one in ten thousand ; hermit rabs , which seek shelter in whelk shells because of their soft bodies and tails , and move t into larger shells as they grow bigger a spider crab , wi h oyster spat on its back various beautiful specimens of the w sea urchin , some like life , or ith shells cleaned out or petrified ; teeth of gigantic sharks of the E ocene period ; Wh e lks . " - i h h and ed e ft h and e d . R g t . L fossili z ed fruit from the London clay ; n umbers of clay

A D 1 6 00 r pipes from about . . , including one with an oyste grown into the bowl ; old keys ; the shell of a crab with sixteen oysters grown on it a Schiedam bottle of suggestively

a w contraband appear nce , ith oysters adhering to it ; tiles

A r cha co n from , in France , laid for spat , being coated with lime , so that the spat could be eased off with a knife , and

a allowed to look fter themselves , to save them from being crowded out of life oyster shells covered with the work of w the Ross orm , which produces its own lime as it proceeds, as a spider does its web a basket dredged up in the N orth

s Sea coated with spat various jars , stag horns , flint pistol w covered ith marine growth , a battle axe , an ox head,

am hor ze s various red p , long tu ks , and a leg bone , four feet in length .

There i s in the museum a very original A n Oy st e r - r WlnC mouse trap p eserved in spirits of . M o u s e Tra p .

I t appears that some oysters , not being

c - wanted at once , were placed in a rock in a back yard , where two white mice found one of them gaping open .

c The mice inquisitively peeped in , whi h the oyster resented ,

86

Pa kin c g .

d 6d . 1 0 ov ste r 8 . s d . . a bushel I n 3 9 were and mussels 5 a

. 1 2 d . bushel J umping to 5 7 the price was 4 per hundred ,

-a - 1 e five hundred going to a bushel now days . I n 5 95 som

6d e e k . oysters are recorded as fetching . a p in London I t

1 1 c 8d may be interesting to notice that in 5 3 ockles fetched . a bushel , so that in the sixteenth century the prices of

s c oysters , mussel , and co kles were not vastly different .

1 y d I n 5 5 9 a hundred o sters changed hands at 9 . , and for

8d 1 three years after the price varied from . to od . a hundred .

1 6 1 1 5 . d I n 4 Selsey oysters are specially mentioned at 4 . per hundred , and in the same year other oysters were only

d . 5 . per hundred

1 6 8 s . a I n 3 a barrel of Mendham oysters cost 5 , and

0 s . purchase of 5 great oysters is recorded at 3 per hundred,

5 d . . and in 1 63 9 H unston oysters cost 3 . 4 per hundred I n 87

h 2 s d . 1 6 . 5 3 one bushel of oysters changed ands for 4 , and from that date till 1 680 price s ruled from that price to

5 6d . 3 . per bushel .

2 s In London two quarts of oysters were sold at . per

1 6 8 o quart in 9 .

Kentish Ga z ette 2 r d 1 82 The in its issue of 3 January, 3 , mentioned that oysters fetched four guineas a bushel at

' B . illingsgate They were brought to London in wa ggons , as the frost w a s so severe vessels could not bring the y oysters up by water . The wholesale price of Ro als at

W 1 2 1 8 5 0 . hitstable , in February, 9 , was per hundred tale , which was ab ou t doubled when the v reached the consumer in London from the retail dealers . French , and other

6d . foreign oysters , are very much cheaper , even as low as

m a z . v c a do en , retail Some readers remember the comi song in which an economical lady is described as sitting in

t -a - z front of a mirror o eat half do en oysters , in order that s he w z W might think they ere a do en . ith good oysters “ ” y z like Ro als at four or five shillings a do en , economy

t r like that is not altogether surprising, hough the p ice is not really high to a sincere lover of oysters to w hose palate the

a i n real genuine rticle is a peculiarly gratify ng se sation . The general public ar e not aware of the amount of labour and trouble devoted to providing them with a satisfactory

E c oyster . a h one is examined , selected and cleaned from excrescences as carefully as if it w ere a blossom to b e

w who exhibited at a flo er show , and those have watched the process have gone a w a v no longer wondering that the best E nglish oyster cannot be sold in London so cheaply as some of the foreigners .

V l o . w Professor Rogers , in IV . of his interesting ork , says

o v ste r s y b There are fifteen entries of , generall y the 88

m hundred or thousand , once by a easure which I cannot ‘ W ’ a . 1 82 interpret, the ste This entry is in 4 , and he

2 d P gives it as § waste , 4 . ersonally, I think there can be “ W ” no doubt this word should be read as ash , that being a measure in everyday use in Whitstable even now

I t would be interesting to know what was the probabl e

- 1 2 was value of the half penny in 73 , when that the price e of one hundred oysters . I t will be remembered that th K E only coins of the ings, down to dward I I I . , were silver

. a a pennies There were imagin ry coin s "money of ccount), j ust as we might speak of a pound without reference to the

and E sovereign , and in Saxon early nglish times, the

Scillin wa s a g or Shilling such an im ginary coin .

W illiam I . settled the Saxon Shilling at four pennies, but a N lso established a orman Shilling at twelve pennies .

Y e t no actual coin representing a shilling appeared till the r E eign of H enry VI I . The first nglish pennies weighed

2 r U E 2 5 grains t oy of silver . nder dward I I I . the same

1 8 E 1 2 coins weighed grains , under dward I V . grains , and

8 H - E . under dward VI grains . alf pennies were formed by cutting the penny into two pieces, the penny being marked w ith a cross, possibly as a guide for division into two or C four parts . uriosity is aroused by hearing that the price of

1 2 - oysters in 73 was a half penny per hundred , but it i s extremely difficult to get at the real relationship of values then and now . Adam Smith considered the prices of wheat more suggestive of relative value than any other

c commodity . I n that same year wheat ost an average of 8 s a d . 5 . per qu rter of bushels , eggs were 3 the great

w as 1 2 0 and 6d hundred , which , butter was . a gallon .

8 s 5 E now 2 . 0 . nglish wheat is to 3 per quarter , and within 89

r ecollection was at least double that price , so that a c onsideration of the cost of wheat does not help us very

1 much . At the beginning of the 4th century sheep cost

and and I S . each , and meat one farthing a pound , butter c heese were at least double the price of meat .

a s I n further brief illustration of prices at that period, b e earing on th price of oysters , there is record of a man

h a % d . aving to c rry manure at a payment of a day, or give

1 r ld . i in lieu of the service , and in 3 3 4 anothe individual h ad a to furni sh a man , cart , and two horses for the s me a a gricultural purpose , for which he received farthing w y d a orth of bread for the first da , and on the second y a

- N o w - - r . a a epast worth three half pence days , a contr ctor

a a providing man , c rt and horse , is paid from seven to ten s hillings a day . It may be possible to deduce a comparative

ll H em e M i . a nd m a rk A L . B l l rs t a M i l. A a nd m a rk o L .

ach Ca rry ing Oy s te rs u p t h e b e . 9 1

n m e o e b u t d relatio of value fro thes n t s, in any case it woul

m luxur v e c see clear that oysters , like fish , were a , esp ially

to to the poor, to whom the whale and porpoise are known b have een choice dishes, the flesh of the latter, served with

c y the bread rumbs and vinegar , having been consumed b nobles of E ngland in the days of "u een E li z ab e th .

The price of Royals and other oysters vary from time

u m to time , but the men who live by their cultivation go on c omplainingly whatever the state of their special trade may w be , and it certainly is not always good . Strikes are unkno n

t c c c o them , and all they obj e t to is interferen e or riticism by people who are not in a position to understand the

c diffi ulties under which they work , though they welcome those who come to learn what they can of their oc c upati on

of oyster culture .

B y innumerable indications at sea , and marks on land , by the experience gained by years of apprenti ceship a nd w manly toil , follo ing in the footsteps of ancestors during

centuries past , the oyster fishermen attain a perfect acquaintance with the ground or flats hidden beneath the

N b e waves of the orth Sea . They provide us with a ta l y luxur and themselves with a livelihood , and enjoy in fine

c weather a pleasant occupation , which in winter be omes

c both dangerous and hard , requiring all the plu k and e ndurance with which the Oyster Dredgers of Whitstabl e

are so j ustly credited .

FU L B E RT G R A V EN EY WE I R S G R OTTO E S G U I N EA S H A L FWA R E H A R BOU R H A ST ED H E R V II N Y . H E R BA 1 8 8 2 N E Y 7 , 7 , H O RS EWAY H OYS H U IT R E STA PLE IN GOL D SBY L EGE ND S I N RO LL M EN T B OO KS I SL E O F S H EPPEY I SL E OF TH A N ET I R E LA ND JU LI U S A G RICO LA KLONDI KE K LA ND M A R S a . L ELA ND L ICEN S E OF MO RTM A I N Lo w TID ES LUCI U S CRA SS U S LUCR I N E LA KE MA N U R E MEA SU R E S MILT O N OYSTE R S MOU SE TR A P M U S EU M N A M ES NAT I V ES NAU T IL U S N O RT H WOOD NO RWA Y OSTR EA E DU LI S VIR G IN IA N A O ST ER S E GL I S H Y , N A M E R ICA N PORTU G UESE FO SS IL

E R LS . P A u E ELL P NN C . PL I N Y POAC H I N G P RICE S "U E EN E LI"A BETH R ECUL V ER S R ICH B O ROU G H R I V E R ME DWAY STOU R R I V E R SWA L E TH A M E S WA N T SU ME R G ERS R F E SS R O , P O O R O M AN MAT RON S

S ALT PA N S SA N ITA RY OYSTE R S A ER S I E R S U ND , S B T S EA SALT E R S EA SID E TOWN S S ERG I U S OR AT A S EV ER U S P E R T IN Nx

0 0 . H O U S ES S MIT H O F WEST E N H A NGER S M U GGLI N G S PAN IS H G A LL EON S PAT O R S PAWN

S T . AU G U ST IN E

TE M PERATU RE

Tfl AM ES E ST U A RY N A V Y P R IN T E D B Y

OSE P H C O LL A R D C ha in C o s s R oad J , 43 r g r ,

G la s ho u t t V s s S W . 45 e ree ,

2 Litchfi e ld St t Camb id C i cu s 4 ree , r ge r ,

L O N D O N .