Reference Accession
P16/ NHA/P16/
British Fisheries Society.
Founded in 1786 for "Extending the
Fisheries, and Improving the Sea-Coasts of this Kingdom".
This Society was responsible for
the management of the Pulteneytown Harbour until 1879, when a local trust;
the Wick Harbour Trust was established. [NB: the Wick Harbour Trust
archive is also in NHA and is very extensive - listing is not yet complete
but staff should be able to assist on request]
Members of the Society.
P16/1 1819.
Printed booklet, alphabetically listing members of the Society.
Denotes county of residence for each individual.
Includes number of shares held by each individual.
Annotated in ink.
1 item / 22pp.
P16/2
1874.
Printed booklet, alphabetically
listing members of the Society.
(As above).
2 copies / 17pp
P16/3 27 February 1879.
MS. draft unsigned letter regarding an article in the John O'Groats
Journal where a Mr Reid has "...publicly declared you to be the holder of
more shares of the B[ritish] F[isheries] Society than an[y] held in
Caithness...".
3pp.
Printed Annual Reports and
Statement of Accounts, 1873-1893 (P16/4-P16/24)
Include details of A.G.M. and a brief
retrospective account of the major works of the previous year. Statement
of Accounts includes details of capital authorised and created by the
Society, statement of the Societies financial position and a general
balance sheet. Includes accounts for Pulteneytown Harbour until 1979, when
a local trust was established. Each annual report usually 3pp.
P16/4 1873.
Includes report on the Harbour Works in
Wick Bay.
Also includes Engineers Report on the securing of the end of the
breakwater in Pulteneytown Harbour.
P16/5 1874.
Includes report on the removal of 6,000
tons of stones which were removed from Wick Bay.
P16/6 1875.
Includes report on the reduction in the
amount of Harbour Dues received being attributed to the operation of the
Caithness and Sutherland Railway. This has resulted in a reduction in the
number of vessels frequenting Wick Harbour.
P16/7 1876.
Includes preliminary report on a breach to
the North Pier of the old harbour of Pulteneytown, caused by "...an
unusually stormy season...".
[8] [1877] (the square
brackets indicate that items do not appear to have survived)
P16/9 1878.
Includes proposal for transferring the
management of the Pulteneytown Harbour to a local trust. Also includes
statement of accounts "...as between the British Fisheries Society and its
Harbours and Breakwater in the Bay of Wick, from 1809 to the end of 1878".
P16/10 1879.
Includes brief details of the Act of
Parliament, passed on 21 July 1879, which transferred the management of
the Pulteneytown Harbour to local trustees.
P16/11 1880.
P16/12 1881.
[13]
1882.
[14] 1883.
P16/15 1884.
P16/16 1885.
Includes mention that complaints have been
made due to the inconvenience caused by the use of public thoroughfares in
Pulteneytown for herring curing purposes.
P16/17 1886.
P16/18 1887.
Includes decision by the Society to sell
property and dividing the proceeds among the shareholders.
P16/19 1888.
Includes comment that "The year 1888 has
been more favourable to the fishing industry, on which the welfare of the
Pulteney Town Estate so largely depends, than immediately preceding
seasons".
P16/20 1889.
P16/21 1890.
P16/22 1891.
P16/23 1892.
Includes details of the sale of the
Society's whole estates and property to Mr. John Usher, of Norton, for the
sum of �20,000.
P16/24 1893.
Final Report of the Directors.
Society dissolved in June 1893. |