Brief review of our only two events because of the Covid pandemic:
February
A Rural Legacy Lost: the Decline of Salmon Fishing on the River Dart
with Nick Baker
The village of Stoke Gabriel lies 5 miles downstream from Totnes on the River Dart. Its sheltered creek and tidal mill act as a natural harbour and a perfect location for fishing in the deep main stream of the river. Entire communities have been embedded in salmon fishing and the village pubs used to echo with the fisherman’s tall tales. Nick Baker’s grainy images from the late 19th century depicted many boats in the creek.
Adult Atlantic Salmon return to their place of birth after about 4 years to breed, travelling long distances from the colder waters off Greenland, facing predation from sharks, cod and seals. Their combined acute sense of smell, navigation and homing instinct has been described as one of the world’s greatest wonders. Easily adapting to the change to freshwater, they do not eat as they fight their way up river over weirs and waterfalls. Those who make it arrive at the gravel beds exhausted and often with bellies rubbed red raw.
The females lay their eggs in these redds allowing the male to fertilise them. They are then oxygenated by circulating water. Once the fry hatch they are vulnerable to herons and kingfishers. After several physical changes they eventually head for the sea, build up their body weight again and travel north; 90% of their parents die after spawning.
The traditional fishing method hardly changed over the years. A net was stowed in the stern of a rowing boat, shot over the side in a semi-circle with one end open for the fish to enter, then hauled in manually. Around 13,000 salmon were caught on the Dart in 1987; in the last year of net fishing in 2015, 35 were recorded.
Many reasons have led to this decline: pesticides and fungal diseases, industrial scale fishing off Greenland, global warming (fish staying further north chasing plankton) and siltation of the gravel beds used for egg laying.
The social and cultural history of the village related to salmon fishing is now a faded legacy. Tourism and second homes have taken over; the creek is filled with leisure craft. Gone are the poles embedded in the grassy mudbanks where nets were hung to dry. Gone too are the old local characters such as Jethro Fletcher and his top hat with no lid and Marshall Baker the pub landlord “open all hours”.
Disappearing also is the associated dialect such as diddlers, voleing and cold larries. Stoke Gabriel is not alone in the changes to the social profiles of our villages – Nick ended his interesting talk with the Show of Hands song “Village Life” – a perfect illustration.
January
The Real Poldark Inheritance
with Terry Faull
Winston Graham’s Poldark novels and recent television series are works of fiction. However, these stories were meticulously researched and there were indeed those who used political intrigue and doubtful tactics to make money from mining.
Streaming for alluvial tin led to the boom years of the 14th century and with the advent of steam driven pumps in the 18th century facilitating deeper tin and copper mines such as Devon Great Consols, this meant even greater profits for landowners.
From early times the ownership of mineral rights and much of the financing for working them were controlled by the Crown or powerful landowners. They took no risks but leased land to private companies who had to raise their own capital, even taking a % of any profits and seeking compensation for loss of shooting rights!
Cost Book systems detailed all the finances, the review of which led to either further investment or debt. Deeper mines attracted bigger investors and c150 new banks were created by landowners, sometimes for political purposes and often failing. However, now with even more control, the landowners made huge profits. The Duke of Bedford started the Tavistock Savings Bank and his Devon Great Consols mining leases earned him around c£20million compared to c£1.6million from farming. The Bassetts and Williams families of Cornwall (Caerhays, Burncoose) built grand houses, parks and gardens from their profits.
In contrast, the miners worked in dangerous situations, living on low wages, in overcrowded cottages and poor conditions. Deductions were made from their pay for their tools, powder and candles and they were often paid only in tokens which had to be redeemed for goods at the mine shop. They often had to supplement their income by farming, but having to lease the land. Girls from the age of 10 worked as Bal maidens breaking up the ore. Accidents and disease were common. Although there were protests, the mine owners usually came down heavily on any complaints.
Many of the miners subsequently decided to try their luck in USA, Canada and Australia and a big trade developed from places such as Padstow and Appledore, people going out on ships and timber coming back. Lots of the miners did well and never came back, though many of their letters home still survive and tell their stories.
The Poldark stories are great fiction, but they mask the reality for the majority of working families during the boom and bust years of mining in Cornwall and Devon. This illustrated talk by Terry Faull described this reality and contrasts it with those who made their fortune from copper and tin.