The Sovereignty of the Sea: An Historical Account of the Claims of England to the Dominion of the British Seas, and of the Evolution of the Territorial WatersFulton, Thomas Wemyss
History
The Sovereignty of the Sea: An Historical Account of the Claims of England to the Dominion of the British Seas, and of the Evolution of the Territorial Waters
Fulton, Thomas Wemyss
Fisheries -- Great Britain; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- History; Sea-power; Territorial waters -- Great Britain -- History
The resolute attitude of the king was not without its effect. The
burghs now modified their demands, but they still declared that it was
necessary to reserve the “Firth of Lothian” within a line between St
Abb’s Head and Red Head; the Moray Firth within a line between Buchan
Ness and Duncansby Head; the Firth of Clyde between the Mulls of
Galloway and Cantyre, and also the waters within fourteen miles along
the coast between Red Head and Buchan Ness. They further desired that a
space of fourteen miles outside the boundary lines of the Firths should
be reserved, but on this point they stated their willingness to submit
themselves to the king.[425]
The modified proposals of the burghs were submitted to the Privy
Council on 22nd September by certain noblemen, gentry, and
commissioners of the burghs, and an additional reason for reserving
the fourteen miles along the coast between Red Head and Buchan Ness
was now brought forward. If this space were opened to buss-fishing, it
would, they said, ruin the salmon-fishings of the Dee, Don, Ythan,
and the two Esks, “to the great prejudice of the whole kingdom.” The
question of the reserved waters at the Isles and on the west coast
had not been dealt with by the burghs, and the Council asked them to
report on these. The burghs thereupon modified their original demands,
specifying certain places that should be reserved, where the fishings
had been continually carried on by Scottish fishermen and merchants,
who were able, they said, to undertake and fish the same “to the full,”
and within which no stranger had ever been admitted to fish. These
places were as follows: (1) all lochs on the mainland between Farryhead
(Cape Wrath) and the Kyle, together with Loch Hourn on the south side
of Kyle; (2) the east side of Lewes, Uist, Barra, and “Muggersland” (?
Mull), and the lochs of the same, together with the Broad Loch and the
“Bybleheid” on the north-east part of the Lewes; (3) “Lochusherd” (?
Loch Eishort) in Skye; (4) between the islands and the mainland, from
“Farayhead” to the north-east point of Lewis, and for fourteen miles
without the line between them it was “absolutely necessary,” for the
good of the fishings in the lochs above mentioned, that no buss-fishing
should be permitted. All the salmon-fishings were to be wholly reserved
for the natives, and the burghs expressed the wish that fourteen miles
around the Orkneys and Shetlands should also be reserved, but they
referred this to the king. The question of the remaining lochs on the
mainland between the Kyle and the Mull of Cantyre, and of the waters
on the “backside” of Lewis, Uist, Barra, “Muggersland,” and Skye,
except those previously mentioned, was to be “remitted” to the king’s
consideration.[426]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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