According to the 1815 book “Sickelmore’s Epitome of Brighton” there had been talk of building a new fishery at Hove for a long time, and within the book they published the attached image and a prospectus of the latest proposal.
War with France
The spot and the coast at Hove are in every way favourable for such a speculation, according to the book! Furthermore, no object to which the attention of a maritime state at any time can be directed, is of higher importance than the cultivation of her fisheries, when the most sedulous attention to every source of national prosperity is a requisite for security, and when the means are in our own hands, of concentrating for our benefit the streams of wealth and power, which, in less turbulent times, served to animate our competitors.
Site of the Establishment
From the prospectus; Hove, formerly a mile, is now but little more than half that distance from the western extremity of Brighton. The name of the establishment shall be called “The Hove and Brighthelmston Fishery. The site for the establishment commences with the road of Jacob Wood, Esq. on the east, and extends to the end of Mr Richard Lashmars’s Wall on the west; and on the south, from the High Road to the low water mark!
The Estate is Copyhold, Fine Sixpence*
1st – The beach is to be left open for the use of the Fishery, from the line of the Houses intended to be built, about 1000 feet, be the same more or less.
2nd – Every Subscriber of £20, for a plot of Ground, is a Proprietor, and entitled to the use of the Beach for his own benefit.
3rd – Every Proprietor of a House or Houses for the habitation of the settlers, will be restricted not to make any other use of them, than for the abode of Fishermen.
4th – Every Proprietor may let his Dwelling to a Fishermen having a boat or craft, or it remains at his option, to supply the occupier with a boat.
5th – A Proprietor may hold any number of Dwelling Houses, provided they are used only for the Dwellings of Fishermen.
6th – The final plan of the Hove Fishery, shall be settled by a majority of Subscribers.
* I have no idea quite what the heading sentence means, it’s taken directly from the book.
Comments about this page
Peter, your ‘mystery’ statement at the start is referring to the old manorial sytem of landholding similar to modern leasehold. In copyhold the land or property was owned by the holder of the manor and the copyhold ‘fine’ was a payment, originaly a service but later a monetary payment, that allowed a copyholder to hold the property. When the copyholder either left the property or simply died, a ‘fine’ was paid to the manorial holder by the outgoing party and the incomer. It was abolished in 1922.
Thanks Geoff thats a tad clearer now, but just a tad! Pretty much like the modern leasehold system which has been in the news recently, horrible for the leaseholder!!
Add a comment about this page