Two Fishy Stories

Fish wives in 1850s Scotland.

The above picture shows some fish wives in Scotland during the 19th century. Today, if the word "fish wife" is used, it usually means a woman who is both loud and obnoxious.

But the name "fish wife" originally referred to women whose husbands were lost at sea. These widows had to find a way to earn a living to support their families. Their only means of livelihood was to gather the herring fish scraps left on the beach from the catches and then sell them to the farmers inland. It was a very hard life.

One of the characters in my forthcoming novel, Providence (first in the McBride Chronicles series), is the son of such a woman. He is determined that when he is old enough, he will leave his herring fishing village near Fraserburgh on the northeast coast of Scotland where he was born.

He wants to seek his fortune in the New World to make a better life for his mother and younger sisters. Like many others at that time in Scotland, he joins the Hudson's Bay Company and leaves the herring fishing industry behind forever.

I discovered this in-depth account of the herring industry at that time written by Dr. J. R. Coull. It is well worth reading.

​My second story, although not about fish, also comes from Scotland and is about a small Island on the west coast called the Isle of Eigg (pronounced “egg”). It is one of the most beautiful Hebridean islands, just five miles long and three miles wide. The story of this fascinating place, with a population of just under 100 people, was told recently on the CBS program: 60 Minutes.

You would have to be tough to live on Eigg—so not many people do. They rely mainly on cottage industry crafts and tourism to survive. Tourists visit Eigg because they are intrigued by the characters who live there. If you want to “get away from it all,” this is definitely the place to go.

The only means of transport is the one taxi cab. Otherwise you walk! The weather is bleak, but the scenery is outstanding.

​The island is now owned by the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust,  who has managed it since a community buyout in 1997. Eigg Electric, a subsidiary of the Trust, provides the island with electricity.
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The story of the hardy folk of Eigg sounds “fishy” but it's true!