Tales of the Fishwives
Being made up of hundreds of islands, Scotland has an expansive coastline. As a result, there has always been a tradition of fishing, both in the seas and the many lochs.
But fishing only became an industrial enterprise in Scotland after the Highland Clearances, where many folks were cleared off of their farming lands to make way for profitable sheep farming. This resulted in many Scots being pushed to the coastlines, where many villages sprung up as people turned from farming to fishing to make their living. Embo, is one such fishing village, just north of Dornoch.
Initially, the 3 main kinds of fish caught were haddock, herring and cod. But herring were soon found to be so ridiculously numerous off the shores of Scotland, they became the main target for fishermen. They were given the nickname of "the Silver Darlings", due to how profitable they became.
While the act of fishing itself was usually a man only affair, the fishing industry could not have been so successful if it weren't for the women working on the shore. Women were the ones responsible for baiting the lines and nets used by the fishermen out at sea, using mussels and lug worms they had dug up on the beach. If there was no proper dock for the boats, women would carry the men on their backs to the fishing boats in the shallows, so that the fishermen would not get wet! The fish that would then be brought in, would be processed and preserved by the wives and daughters of the fishermen. These "Fishwives" would then take the fish in creels (large woven baskets carried on the back) and travel to sell or barter the caught fish. This became even more lucrative once the railroads were built across the highlands in the mid 1800's.
Every heard the term "gossiping like fishwives"? Well the fish wives would often get the local news as they traveled around selling and bartering their fish, which was seen as 'gossiping'.
At the time, the fishwives were seen as course and rough women, often looked down upon by others, who saw them as mannish and unfeminine. But these women had to be tough to do what they did. They had to be physically very strong, to haul both their men and the boats in and out of the water, and to carry the large fishing creels upon their backs and travel for miles. They were also smart and brave, both in terms of being able to barter and count the money they made, but to travel alone in the country side carrying their valuable fish and the money they made from the fish. They had a reputation as women who were not to be messed with! And they did all this while raising a family and running the household!
Tìoraidh!
