Fishing in Cornwall has traditionally been one of the main elements of the economy. Pilchard fishing and processing was a thriving industry in Cornwall from around 1750 to around 1880, after which it went into an almost terminal decline. During the 20th century the varieties of fish taken became much more diverse and crustaceans such as crab and lobster are now significant. Much of the catch is exported to France due to the higher prices obtainable there.

The industry has featured in numerous works of art, particularly by Stanhope Forbes and other Newlyn School artists.
In 1896 the fishermen of Newlyn rioted against outsiders landing fish on a Sunday.

Early history

The beginnings of a significant fishery in Cornwall may be traced to the reign of King John and by the time of the Tudors had become of national importance. It was much regulated under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I. In 1582 nearly two thousand mariners are recorded for Cornwall and somewhat more for Devon. In 1602 Richard Carew describes the fisheries of Cornwall as much more important than those of eastern England. Two methods were in use at the time: seining and drifting.

In the early years of the 17th century the fishermen of Cornwall were also heavily involved in the Newfoundland fisheries. In the decade 1747-1756 the total number of pilchards dispatched from the four principal Cornish ports of Falmouth, Fowey, Penzance and St Ives averaged 30,000 hogsheads annually (making a total of 900 million fish). Much greater catches were achieved in 1790 and 1796. The majority of the pilchard catch was exported to Italy. Before the mid 18th century the season generally ran from July till November or December but during the 19th century usually from August to October.

In 1847 the exports of pilchards from Cornwall amounted to 40,883 hogsheads or 122 million fish while the greatest number ever taken in one seine was 5,600 hogsheads at St Ives in 1868.

Huers (cliff top lookouts) helped locate shoals of fish. The huer would shout ‘Hevva!, Hevva!’ to alert the boats to the location of the pilchard shoals. Cornish tradition states that Hevva cake was baked by the huers on their return to their homes, the cake being ready by the time the crews returned to land.

Fishing Ports in West Cornwall

The principal industry in Newlyn is fishing, and the town relies upon its harbour. Newlyn’s history has been strongly linked to its role as a major fishing port. The natural protection afforded by the Gwavas Lake (an area of seawater in Mounts Bay) led to many local fishermen using this area as a preferred landing site. Newlyn harbour is first recorded in 1435 by the Bishop of Exeter; later large scale improvements to the harbour led to Newlyn becoming the predominant fishing port in Mounts Bay.

Cadgwith was established in medieval times as a collection of fishing cellars in a sheltered south-east facing coastal valley with a shingle cove to subsidise local farmers’ livelihoods by fishing. Cadgwith was originally called Caswydh or Porthcaswydh (thought to be derived from the Cornish word for ‘a thicket’; probably because the valley was densely wooded). From the 16th century, the village became inhabited, with fishing as the main occupation. Subsequently buildings were established as homes, lofts, capstan houses, and cellars constructed of local stone or cob walls, and thatched or slated roofs; which were built along the beach and up the sides of the valley leading to Cadgwith’s characteristic Cornish fishing village appearance. Cadgwith owes its existence to the fishing industry. Pilchard fishing occurred until the 1950s using large seine boats and seine nets, which was a system used to enclose the large shoals of pilchards, and coordinated by the use of lookouts, known as huers, positioned on the cove’s two headlands. In 1904, a record 1,798,000 pilchards were landed over four days. Due to overfishing and climate changes pilchards are no longer found in large enough numbers to sustain pilchard fishing in Cadgwith, instead crab and lobster fishing occurs. Brown edible crabs, spider crabs, lobsters, sharks, monkfish and conger eel are regularly landed with most being sold abroad through fish merchants but some being sold locally by the fishmonger, the café, public house, and seafood snack shop.

The Newlyn Riots

In the late 19th century the fishing port of Newlyn was home to one of the UK’s largest fishing fleets, and was also the regular landing port for many other fishing vessels operating off the Cornish coast. At the time Newlyn was also the home to as many as 5 Methodist and Non-Conformist religious groups, whose congregations included the local fishermen, most of whom practiced a ban on fish being landed on the Sabbath. The non-Cornish fishing crews, largely from Lowestoft and northern English ports, did not hold the same opinions about Sabbath observation, and would regularly land fish on a Sunday attracting higher prices for their fish than those sold on a weekday.

The riots began in the early morning of Monday May 18 1896 when a group of up to 40 Newlyn fishermen, supported by a mob of around 1,000, boarded the boats of “East” (of Cornwall) fishermen moored in Newlyn Harbour and destroyed their catches. By mid morning some 16 boats had been seized and approximately 100,000 mackerel thrown overboard. By midday messages were sent to the fishing communities of St Ives, Mousehole and Porthleven for help in intercepting the further 100 non-Cornish fishing vessels still at sea in the area.

Within minutes of the riots beginning a message was sent to the county police station at Chyandour in Penzance asking for assistance, and by mid morning a large number of police had assembled from all parts of West Cornwall. Since an estimated 100 Lowestoft vessels were still at sea a small steamer was dispatched, containing the Newlyn harbour master, to advise them of the situation; the steamer was duly chased by a local trawler. By late afternoon the Porthleven fleet arrived in support of the Newlyn men.

The next day the police and local fisherman exchanged in a number of pitched battles around the Newlyn harbour. The only recorded injury was to local Police Inspector Matthews, who was knocked on the head by a fish box. As the rioting continued 7 “Yorkie” vessels were sited making for Penzance harbour to land their catches there. Around 300 of the rioters then made for that harbour and were met by a squadron of the Penzance Borough police, supported by a group of local Penzance youths. The strong resistance met on arrival in Penzance forced the rioters to return to Newlyn.
By mid-afternoon the situation had become so serious that local authorities asked for military assistance. At 6pm 400 soldiers from the Royal Berkshire regiment under Major Massard arrived by train at Penzance railway station and made for temporary barracks in Penzance to await orders.

Around 8:00 pm a considerable riot broke out between the Newlyn, Porthleven and St Ives men, and the men of Penzance supported by the men of Lowestoft – who had by this time managed to land their catches. Around 100 police of both the Penzance and Cornwall force attempted to intervene but were beaten back, this leading the police to summon the assistance of the military recently stationed in Penzance. The soldiers immediately made for Newlyn, again joined by several hundred Penzance men, and, upon crossing Newlyn bridge, were met with stone throwing. The soldiers then made for the Harbour and occupied the piers. While this was occurring a torpedo destroyer entered the harbour. The arrival of the military calmed the rioters, and by midnight that day they had largely dispersed.

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