Old Photograph Fishermen Scotland

Old photograph of fishermen outside thatched cottages on the East coast of Scotland. The 19th century saw the greatest growth in sea fishing on the Scottish east coast. In the early years of that century the boats were very small, made of wood and were either one or two masted. They were not expensive to build and small repairs were carried out by the fishermen themselves. These early boats needed to be light so they could be dragged up the beaches. The fishermen did not venture far from the shore, as these boats were undecked and unstable under stormy conditions. In 1848, a violent storm hit the country and 124 boats were sunk, and 100 fishermen lost their lives.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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