Emsworth's History - The Emsworth Oyster Fishery
Oysters
had probably been fished in Emsworth and Warblington for
many centuries, before The Emsworth Oyster Dredgers
Co-operative was established in the 1870s to improve and
protect the industry. In 1788. it is recorded that over
7,000 bushels of native Emsworth oysters, with a value of
£1,500, were raked and dredged by a dozen master fishermen.
The oyster industry flourished and the fishery was at its
height during the last decade of the 19th century. In 1901
between 300 and 400 people, out of a population of some
3,000, were working in the Emsworth oyster trade, either for
Foster or the other fishing masters, or engaged in the sale
of oysters. Emsworth's important oyster industry on which so
many relied for their living was devastated by the
great oyster scare of 1902, when guests at a Winchester
banquet became ill and the Dean of Winchester died from
typhoid attributed to eating Emsworth oysters at that event.
Following inspection of the oyster beds gross sewage
contamination was identified and the sale of Emsworth
oysters immediately slumped
By By 1878 approximately 50 vessels belonged to Emsworth - rowing boats for fishing within the harbour, and smacks of up to 30 tons and 50 feet in length capable of fishing in more distant waters. A small number of boats were involved in coastal trade with commodities including coal, corn and timber. For its size, Emsworth had a significant shipbuilding industry and the supported manufacturing of sailcloth, fishing nets and rope. Perhaps the most famous Emsworth shipbuilder was J.D. Foster who built cutters and fast deep-water ketches from 1880 onwards. Today, a century later, it is the 'Echo', Foster's fastest and largest cutter with an overall length of 112 feet, for which it is most renowned. It is reputed to have been the largest fishing vessel to have sailed out of an English port.
At the height of successful industry, over three million
oysters a year came out of Emsworth to be distributed across
the country. At the end of the 19th century half the
population of Emsworth earned their living from fishing,
oyster dredging or the industries that support the trade,
such as boat building. Alas the industry collapsed when the
Dean of Winchester died in 1902 and the blame was laid on
polluted oysters. Since then the waters have been
cleaned-up, but today only a handful of fishermen are still
dredging the harbour for oysters.
At the height of the Emsworth oyster industry’s production
boom, the town boasted an oyster shop, which has long since
gone and today the site is home to an Indian restaurant, A
Taste of India.
Emsworth's Last remaining Oyster Boat, Terror
The Terror was an open sailing boat built around 1890 and
used for conveying oysters around Chichester Harbour. It is
believed to have been one of a number built by Foster's in
Emsworth in c1880. Around 29 feet long, nine feet six in
beam and two feet six deep,The Terror was used in the oyster
fishery of Chichester Harbour until its rapid decline after
1902. She had a number of private owners throughout the 20th
century until purchased in 2004 by Chichester Harbour
Conservancy and restored at Dolphin quay Boat Yard,
Emsworth, with the help of a lottery grant. The restoration
was completed and the boat was re-launched in September
2006.