Old Photograph Fishwives Port Seton Scotland

Old photograph of fishwives in Port Seton, Scotland. A fishwife or fisher lass, was a woman who gutted or sold fish, The word wife often meant woman rather than a married woman though they were often the wives and daughters of Scottish fishermen from coastal fishing villages. Fishwives were sometimes loud and foul mouthed, as noted in the expression, To swear like a fishwife. One reason for their outspokenness is that their wares were highly perishable and so lost value if not sold quickly. Their fish, such as haddock and herring, was carried on their backs in creels. Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to travel and visit one day.



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