Children of the fishing families in Scarborough
Photo above: Children by the harbour
The children of the fishing families never had an easy life. Life in the nineteenth century and early tweentieth century was characterized by poverty. Children often went around without any shoes on their feet. They had many brothers and sisters yet they all slept together in the one bed - tip to toe. They never had any pocket money - indeed they did not even understand the concept of pocket money. Their mums and dads worked hard every minute of the day to make sure they got food on the table. There was not much left over for the children in the way of treats.
Yet for one month of the year the children of the Old Town in Scarborough lived like kings and queens. They looked forward to the site of the herring fleets. The scotch fisher lasses would appear by train and soon the outer harbour became a scene of the greatest industry and activity.
The children used to hide behind crates. Around the corner there were more children hiding behind more crates. They waited and watched the herring boxes. Some would fall out as they were lifted. The children would sit praying for as many to fall out as was possible. They watched them as first they wobbled and then they fell. Then they sprang into action and ran to get the falling fish. Some of the fishermen used to shout at them and would give them a 'clip' - some of them were real nasty. Other fishermen took it in good humour and expected them to pinch the odd fish. Generally the kids were too quick and too agile and got away with their prize. Anyway the fishermen were too busy with the many tons of fish that needed processing. There was plenty for all.
Then they would take the herrings and walk around the estates selling them for pennies. They used to trek out to Barrowcliff on the old railway line or to Edgehill. They used to go to the old peoples dwellings (they were called dwelling rather than flats back then).
Then came the best bit as the children came to spend their ill gotten gains. They sat together on the castle dykes eating their goodies. They had riches they could never have dreamt of.
There was one man who even used to join in the great bonanza. He had he barrow down by the harbour and sent his grandchildren down to pinch fish. They got loads and filled his barrow. He used to go round the Old Town selling the fish in the same way the children did.
Sometimes the children fought for the fish. They would join together as a gang. They would fight each other - slapping each other round the face with the herring prize. At the end of the day they stank of fish but didn't care. Then one day the scotch fisher lasses would pack up and move onto the next port as the boats followed the herring shoals down the coast. Then all they could do would be to dream of the next year.
OTHER ARTICLES
• Life in the Old Town of Scarborough and harbour - the fishing families
• The history of the Scarborough fishing industry
• Watching for ships by the harbour walls in Scarborough
• Harwood Brierleys description of Scarborough harbour at the opening of the 20th century
• Strange customs amongst the Scarborough shipbuilders
• Women working in the Scarborough fishing industry
• The national RNLI and the Scarborough lifeboat of 1861.
• Scarboroughs Old Town and its connection to the sea
• The history of the herring fishing in the North Sea
• The fishing fleets of the 1920's - Hulls Gamecock fleet
• Witches and black cats in the Old Town in Scarborough - superstitions
• The Womens work in the Filey fishing industry
• The Allen and Truman Scarborough fishing families
• The 200 year history of scarboroughs RNLI
• The port of Scarborough in the late 15th Century
• Filey and the gales of 1860,1867,1869 AND 1880
• When the Colliers came to Scarborough
• Famous fishing families - the Whitby Storr family and the Leadleys
• Thomas Crimlisk - First of the Crimlisks
HOW TO HELP THIS WEBSITE: Google rates pages posted on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites very highly. So if you have found this site useful please post it using the buttons below.
Tweet