On this Day…16 January

On this day, 16 January, 1386, the salmon fishery of Galway was granted to Richard Parrys, burgess of Bristol; for two years, at twenty marks annually.

Richard de Burgo and Henry Blake (a burgess of Galway) were commanded not to interfere with the fishery in any manner whatsoever.
The Galway Fishery is situated in both tidal and fresh waters; extending from Lough Corrib to the sea at Galway Bay.
The Galway Fishery has a long history. There is evidence of human settlement on the banks of the river Corrib in prehistoric times, with fishing being the main occupation of these riverside inhabitants.This evidence suggests man first fished these waters as far back as 6,000 BC.

The earliest documented reference to the Galway fishery occurs in the reign of Edward I of England. This reference in the ‘Pipe Rolls’; an inventory of the King’s assets, tells us in 1283 that the fishery was the most significant source of income in the fledgling town of Galway. The river Corrib was probably the main reason for the establishment of the town of Galway; being a source of food, and being instrumental in navigation and the protection of the town. These documents from 1283 indicate that the river Corrib comes into existence as a legally acknowledged fishery as a result of it being bestowed on Richard de Burgo, the Anglo-Norman credited as the founder of present-day Galway.
As a result of this event being recorded on the King’s financial assets inventory, the river Corrib became classified as a ‘Several’ or ‘Severed’ fishery. This implied that the river was now a separate legal entity, with exclusive ownership rights for the individual who owned the river. Anyone who had land adjoining the river had no right to fish that particular stretch of the river. The river was severed from the adjoining land.

Richard de Burgo used the river fishery to maintain his control in Galway, by leasing out sections of the river to members of the ‘Tribes of Galway’ to secure favours and enhance his standing. One section of the river’s fishing rights were bestowed on the Blake family for a while; another section was leased to a Lord of Connacht, Adam MacScyane. In 1320, William de Burgo granted the fishery to the Franciscan Friars. Matters became complicated when the King of England declared in 1521 that the Lynch family could place nets on the river. In 1570, Elizabeth 1 declared that the commoners of Galway were entitled to 1 salmon every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; and to eels one day per week. The fishery then passed to a Mr. Dodd in the time of Cromwell.

This chaotic situation eventually led to the questioning of access to the river, and heredity rights, as well as the overall ownership of the river fishery. This led to a number of court proceedings regarding the fishery; and on May 29, 1669, a new patent was passed stating that the owner ‘shall have as our gift all the salmon fishing, pike and eel and other fish of and in the river of Galway’. This date of 1669, commemorated over the door lintel of the Fishery Watchtower; acknowledges the rights of George Preston to exclusive rights of ownership on the fishery to the exclusion of all other previous claims. In 1710, the fishery was in the possession of Mr. Eyre from Eyrecourt.

In 1852, the fishery was conveyed in it’s entirety by the Commissioners of Encumbered Estates to Edmond and Thomas Ashworth of Lancashire, England for the sum of £5,000. The Ashworth brothers turned the fishery into a commercial enterprise, investing in new buildings and applying industrial fishing standards and practices. The Ashworths discovered that numerous Galway people were fishing the river without their permission, and court proceedings ensued. After a series of lengthy trials, the title of Edmond and Thomas Ashworth to a ‘Several’ fishery was upheld.

In 1922 Col. Cross bought the fishery, and in 1954 he sold it to John and Douglas Barber, fish merchants from London.
In the late 1970’s the rights to the fishery were secured at a nominal fee from the Barbers by the then Minister of Irish Fisheries and Forestry on behalf of the Irish state. The fishery was active and in commercial production up to the late 1990’s. Today, all commercial fishing activity has ceased. All fishing is now tightly regulated and managed.
On this day, 16 January, 1386, the salmon fishery of Galway was granted to Richard Parrys, burgess of Bristol; for two years, at twenty marks annually.