Putcher fishing
Encyclopedia
Putcher fishing is a type of fishing (usually of salmon
) which employs a large number of putcher
baskets, set in a fixed wooden frame, against the tide
in a river estuary
, notably on the River Severn
, in England
and South East Wales
.
A salmon fishery of some kind was probably in operation at the time of the Priory
at Goldcliff and then passed, at the time of the Dissolution
, to Eton College
. In the 1920s there were ranks holding some 2,400 baskets. The revenue from this enterprise provided an endowment to the Church of the Blessed Virgin at Eton. In addition, fresh salmon were provided for the breakfast of the scholars at the college. The fishery was owned for much of the later part of the twentieth century by Mr John Williams who employed one full-time fisherman Mr Wyndham Howells. The lease for the fishery was subsequently taken over by a Newport
fishmonger. The fishery at Porton was acquired in 1902 by the Pontypool
Park Estate and was for many years run during the fishing season run by Mr Keyte, a member of a long-established family of Goldcliff farmers.
were known as “putchers”.
Fishing for salmon using many of these devices was forbidden in England and Wales by the Salmon Fishery Acts of 1861 and 1865, except under grant or charter, or by the right of “immemorial usage”. Indeed, Special Constables were appointed by the Act of 1865 to enquire into the legality of all “fixed engines” being used to catch salmon. Only if proven legal would the constables then issue a certificate of legality. In this way the number, size and position of all salmon weirs became fixed for all time.
River Authority and were permitted to be used as “privileged fixed engines”. Two others at nearby Undy
and Redwick
, also on the shoreline of the Severn Estuary
, fell out of use on the 1930s. The Wye
River Authority operated a weir of 500 baskets at Beachley
in Gloucestershire
and a number of other weirs were operated by the Severn River Authority on both sides of the River Severn
.
From 1913 to 1950 fisherman George Whittaker was employed at the Goldcliff Fishery, first by Mr Fennell and later by Mr Burge. Whittaker was to become a notable source of information about putcher fishing there. The Putchers at Goldcliff were traditionally open in weave, being constructed from hazel
rods and withy
saplings cut in the autumn from a 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) withy plantation at Llanwern
. The baskets were made and repaired by the fishermen themselves during the closed season between August 14 and May 1. The wooden putcher was gradually superseded, from 1942, by galvanised steel
wire baskets and then later by baskets of aluminium
wire, both of which were more seawater
resistant. After 1952 the baskets at Goldcliff and Porton were exclusively aluminium, although the traditional measurements were strictly adhered to by the modern manufacturers. The galvanised putchers with 3 inches (76.2 mm) square mesh were supplied flat and wired into shape by the fishermen. The aluminium putchers, with a diamond mesh, were supplied ready-formed, although at Goldcliff they were strengthened with additional wire bands. All-wire putchers were fixed to the wooden ranks by means of the two staples hammered into the wooden rails on the ranks.
near Pawlett, Cannington
, and Black Rock where four men had 1,000 putchers, also called "butts". Between 1868 and 1873 the number of licensed butts fell from 1,360 to 450. Salmon putchers remained in the river in 1920 and were sold with the de Mauley estate.
or hazel
rods were then split into three using an oak cleaver held in the maker’s hand. The split lengths were then inserted into the holes to make a conical shape and a withy ring was plaited round them close to the surface of the bench. Nine shorter rods, either complete or in thirds, were then inserted into the ring, with two more rings being plaited around to secure them, one half way up and another near the top. A nose ring was then plaited. The putcher was then pulled out of the bench, the nose ring attached and a spiral `worm' was added from the narrow end to the middle. A base ring was woven at the end of the basket. Any longer rods could then be trimmed and the basket was ready for use. The basket was expected to last for two fishing seasons, possibly also for a third following repair.
The uprights of the ranks were generally made of green larch
or green elm
, some 15 feet (4.6 m) long and from 8 to 9 inches (228.6 mm) in diameter and sunk into the foreshore by between 6 and 8 feet (2.4 m). Green timber was preferred as the salt seawater would preserve it and allow use for perhaps up to ten years. Elm tended to be more durable then larch, although all would eventually start to rot from the top and would need to be replaced. Some poles at Goldcliff, probably those at the seaward ends of the ranks, were reported to have lasted for forty years. The post holes were bored using a rock auger
and bar, with the debris removed using a long-handle implement called a “spoon”. The uprights were then beaten into the ground, in pairs, five feet apart, using an iron lined yew
beetle.
Between each pair of upstream and downstream uprights a space of six feet was left for laying the baskets, with each pair braced with diagonals and transverse beams top and bottom. To the outside of this structure horizontal rails were then nailed, the first some 18 inches (457.2 mm) from the ground, and then at regular two foot intervals above Two or three narrow gaps were left in the lower rails to allow access. Rows of baskets were then stapled to the rails, at a downward angle of about 20 degrees. All the baskets in a rank would point the same way, with the open end set either against the incoming or outgoing tide. Added strength was given to some ranks by using angled props against the front post of every fourth pair.
Priory at Goldcliff.
On normal fishing days, as soon as the tide had exposed the baskets, they needed to be inspected by the fisherman who used a pronged staff to push any trapped fish back towards the basket entrance. Returning along the other side of the rank, the fish were then collected in a sack. At Goldcliff a bicycle, with trays front and back, was used to make collection easier. Running repairs could also be carried out at the same time with hammer and nails.
Fish from the ebb-ranks were by necessity fresher than those taken from the flood-ranks, since on the latter the tide had to both rise and fall before the fishermen could collect the catch.
Since the fisherman would need to work with the tides, inspection and collection needed to occur around the clock and thus the brick workshop was equipped with bed and cooking equipment. A fish store was also required where the freshly collected fish could be stored in tight-lidded lead-lined boxes packed with broken ice. The fish from both Goldcliff and Porton were sent to Billingsgate
market in London. The Porton fishery was also equipped with a smokery at one time, using oak
shavings, but this venture was apparently not long lasting.
The "kype", a basket similar to the putcher but more elaborate, for catching shrimp
and eel
, seems also to have been constructed for use at Goldcliff.
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
) which employs a large number of putcher
Putcher
A putcher is a type of fish trap in the form of a conical-shaped basket, similar in appearance to a five-foot ice-cream cone...
baskets, set in a fixed wooden frame, against the tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
in a river estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
, notably on the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
, in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and South East Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
History
The trapping of fish is probably one of the oldest known forms of fishing. The exact origin of putcher fishing along the River Severn is not known, but a memorial song recorded in 1663 mentions two fixed engines operating “between the Hill and the Pile” – undoubtedly references to Hill Farm and the Pill Reen or “Monksditch” at Goldcliff. Evidence for the use of putchers in medieval times has recently been revealed during construction of the Second Severn CrossingSecond Severn Crossing
The Second Severn Crossing is a bridge which carries the M4 motorway over the River Severn between England and Wales, inaugurated on 5 June 1996 by HRH The Prince of Wales to augment the traffic capacity of the original Severn Bridge built in 1966...
A salmon fishery of some kind was probably in operation at the time of the Priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
at Goldcliff and then passed, at the time of the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, to Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. In the 1920s there were ranks holding some 2,400 baskets. The revenue from this enterprise provided an endowment to the Church of the Blessed Virgin at Eton. In addition, fresh salmon were provided for the breakfast of the scholars at the college. The fishery was owned for much of the later part of the twentieth century by Mr John Williams who employed one full-time fisherman Mr Wyndham Howells. The lease for the fishery was subsequently taken over by a Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
fishmonger. The fishery at Porton was acquired in 1902 by the Pontypool
Pontypool
Pontypool is a town of approximately 36,000 people in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales....
Park Estate and was for many years run during the fishing season run by Mr Keyte, a member of a long-established family of Goldcliff farmers.
Fish traps in Wales
During the later half of the twentieth century numerous fixed weirs, installed in rivers and shores throughout Wales for the purpose of catching fish, fell into disuse. In addition to fixed traps, however, Wales had a large number of removable traps, also known as “hecks”, “crucks”, “cribs” and “inscale”. The basket traps used at Goldcliff and Porton in the Severn EstuarySevern Estuary
The Severn Estuary is the estuary of the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain. Its high tidal range means it has been at the centre of discussions in the UK regarding renewable energy.-Geography:...
were known as “putchers”.
Fishing for salmon using many of these devices was forbidden in England and Wales by the Salmon Fishery Acts of 1861 and 1865, except under grant or charter, or by the right of “immemorial usage”. Indeed, Special Constables were appointed by the Act of 1865 to enquire into the legality of all “fixed engines” being used to catch salmon. Only if proven legal would the constables then issue a certificate of legality. In this way the number, size and position of all salmon weirs became fixed for all time.
Goldcliff and Porton
In South East Wales the baskets at Porton and Goldcliff came under the jurisdiction of the UskRiver Usk
The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain of mid-Wales, in the easternmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially it flows north into Usk Reservoir, then east by Sennybridge to Brecon before turning southeast to flow by Talybont-on-Usk, Crickhowell and...
River Authority and were permitted to be used as “privileged fixed engines”. Two others at nearby Undy
Undy
Undy is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, adjoining the village of Magor with which it forms the community and parish of "Magor with Undy"...
and Redwick
Redwick, Newport
Redwick is a small village and community parish to the south east of the city of Newport, in South Wales, United Kingdom. It lies within the Newport city boundaries, in the historic county of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent.- Location :...
, also on the shoreline of the Severn Estuary
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary is the estuary of the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain. Its high tidal range means it has been at the centre of discussions in the UK regarding renewable energy.-Geography:...
, fell out of use on the 1930s. The Wye
River Wye
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...
River Authority operated a weir of 500 baskets at Beachley
Beachley
Beachley is a village in Gloucestershire, England, near the border with Wales. It is located on a peninsula at the junction between the Rivers Wye and Severn, where the Severn Bridge ends and the smaller secondary bridge for the River Wye begins. The tidal drop here is one of the highest in the UK...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
and a number of other weirs were operated by the Severn River Authority on both sides of the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
.
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
rods and withy
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
saplings cut in the autumn from a 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) withy plantation at Llanwern
Llanwern
Llanwern is an electoral ward and community in the urban-rural fringe of the City of Newport, South Wales. Llanwern ward is bounded by the M4 and Langstone to the north, Ringland, Liswerry and the River Usk to the west, the River Severn to the south and the city boundary to the east...
. The baskets were made and repaired by the fishermen themselves during the closed season between August 14 and May 1. The wooden putcher was gradually superseded, from 1942, by galvanised steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
wire baskets and then later by baskets of aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
wire, both of which were more seawater
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
resistant. After 1952 the baskets at Goldcliff and Porton were exclusively aluminium, although the traditional measurements were strictly adhered to by the modern manufacturers. The galvanised putchers with 3 inches (76.2 mm) square mesh were supplied flat and wired into shape by the fishermen. The aluminium putchers, with a diamond mesh, were supplied ready-formed, although at Goldcliff they were strengthened with additional wire bands. All-wire putchers were fixed to the wooden ranks by means of the two staples hammered into the wooden rails on the ranks.
Somerset
Since the 18th century salmon fisheries were associated with the Clifford estate at Yearsey and Black Rock at West Stretcholt. By the mid 19th century the de Mauley family claimed three sites in the River ParrettRiver Parrett
The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset...
near Pawlett, Cannington
Cannington, Somerset
Cannington is a village and civil parish north-west of Bridgwater in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. It lies on the west bank of the River Parret, and contains the hamlet of Edstock.-History:...
, and Black Rock where four men had 1,000 putchers, also called "butts". Between 1868 and 1873 the number of licensed butts fell from 1,360 to 450. Salmon putchers remained in the river in 1920 and were sold with the de Mauley estate.
Putcher construction
In 1970 a few dozen of the traditional willow baskets were made and installed by the fishermen at Goldcliff. To make a putcher by hand, a low bench was used approximately 18 inches (457.2 mm) high and 24 inches (609.6 mm) square into which 9 holes were made, in a circle 10 inches (254 mm) in diameter. Green withyWillow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
or hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
rods were then split into three using an oak cleaver held in the maker’s hand. The split lengths were then inserted into the holes to make a conical shape and a withy ring was plaited round them close to the surface of the bench. Nine shorter rods, either complete or in thirds, were then inserted into the ring, with two more rings being plaited around to secure them, one half way up and another near the top. A nose ring was then plaited. The putcher was then pulled out of the bench, the nose ring attached and a spiral `worm' was added from the narrow end to the middle. A base ring was woven at the end of the basket. Any longer rods could then be trimmed and the basket was ready for use. The basket was expected to last for two fishing seasons, possibly also for a third following repair.
Ranks
A strong timber frame or “rank” was required to hold the rows of putchers, built across the main tidal flow of the river. The fish, with fins trapped by the weave and unable to easily swim backwards, were then trapped in the conical baskets. The very high difference between high and low tide in the Severn Estuary enabled the ranks to be long and thus economically productive. Goldcliff originally had three ranks – the “Flood”, the “Ebb” and the “Putt”, able to carry a total of 2,327 baskets. A number of smaller baskets were especially constructed to fill any smaller spaces in the rank. Although there was no great advantage to be had from trapping smaller fish, the lack of any holes in the rank presented a more complete “wall of traps” through which it was more difficult for any fish to pass. The single putcher rank at Porton could carry some 600 baskets. Although the fishermen’s intimate knowledge of the seasonal height of the tides meant wasted that un-submerged baskets were not set, once fixed the baskets were typically removed only if the fish could not be released, or to allow repairs.The uprights of the ranks were generally made of green larch
Larch
Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...
or green elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
, some 15 feet (4.6 m) long and from 8 to 9 inches (228.6 mm) in diameter and sunk into the foreshore by between 6 and 8 feet (2.4 m). Green timber was preferred as the salt seawater would preserve it and allow use for perhaps up to ten years. Elm tended to be more durable then larch, although all would eventually start to rot from the top and would need to be replaced. Some poles at Goldcliff, probably those at the seaward ends of the ranks, were reported to have lasted for forty years. The post holes were bored using a rock auger
Auger
An auger is a drilling device, or drill bit, that usually includes a rotating helical screw blade called a "flighting" to act as a screw conveyor to remove the drilled out material...
and bar, with the debris removed using a long-handle implement called a “spoon”. The uprights were then beaten into the ground, in pairs, five feet apart, using an iron lined yew
Taxus
Taxus is a genus of yews, small coniferous trees or shrubs in the yew family Taxaceae. They are relatively slow-growing and can be very long-lived, and reach heights of 1-40 m, with trunk diameters of up to 4 m...
beetle.
Between each pair of upstream and downstream uprights a space of six feet was left for laying the baskets, with each pair braced with diagonals and transverse beams top and bottom. To the outside of this structure horizontal rails were then nailed, the first some 18 inches (457.2 mm) from the ground, and then at regular two foot intervals above Two or three narrow gaps were left in the lower rails to allow access. Rows of baskets were then stapled to the rails, at a downward angle of about 20 degrees. All the baskets in a rank would point the same way, with the open end set either against the incoming or outgoing tide. Added strength was given to some ranks by using angled props against the front post of every fourth pair.
Fishing practices
For reasons of religious observance, until the early years of the nineteenth century, the putchers' open ends had to be closed at least between noon on Saturday until 6 am the following Monday. The practice suggested strongly the origins of the fishery with the BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Priory at Goldcliff.
On normal fishing days, as soon as the tide had exposed the baskets, they needed to be inspected by the fisherman who used a pronged staff to push any trapped fish back towards the basket entrance. Returning along the other side of the rank, the fish were then collected in a sack. At Goldcliff a bicycle, with trays front and back, was used to make collection easier. Running repairs could also be carried out at the same time with hammer and nails.
Fish from the ebb-ranks were by necessity fresher than those taken from the flood-ranks, since on the latter the tide had to both rise and fall before the fishermen could collect the catch.
Since the fisherman would need to work with the tides, inspection and collection needed to occur around the clock and thus the brick workshop was equipped with bed and cooking equipment. A fish store was also required where the freshly collected fish could be stored in tight-lidded lead-lined boxes packed with broken ice. The fish from both Goldcliff and Porton were sent to Billingsgate
Billingsgate Fish Market
Situated in East London, Billingsgate Fish Market is the United Kingdom's largest inland fish market. It takes its name from Billingsgate, a ward in the south-east of the City of London, where the riverside market was originally established...
market in London. The Porton fishery was also equipped with a smokery at one time, using oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
shavings, but this venture was apparently not long lasting.
The "kype", a basket similar to the putcher but more elaborate, for catching shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
and eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
, seems also to have been constructed for use at Goldcliff.