BOATS OF THE ESSEX COAST. 271
A fishing method of great antiquity is the placing of a net
across a river or tidal creek. For this purpose no boat is re-
quired if the river or creek is very shallow but better catches
can usually be made in deeper water, the net being rowed across
the stream in a "V" formation. Such a net, supported by
stakes, was the Kiddle or Keddle net of many mediaeval statutes
and prohibitory ordinances.
More distant excursions in search of fish on the coastal
sandbanks were made in a Peterboat, a double-ended craft
with an open well. The name may have arisen because, like
St. Peter, the boats could be as easily moved in one direction
as the other, or perhaps because each end "petered out" to a
sharp stem. The last of these Peterboats is now, I believe,
lying on the mud at Brentford, near Chiswick. At Leigh,
there is an inn named the "Peterboat," so it may be concluded
that at one time there were many such boats along the shore.
A very interesting piece of carving, an inn sign bearing a Peter-
boat and Jacket, is to be seen in Fish Street Hill, London.
Leigh is still the most important South Essex fishing centre
and the Leigh Cockleboats, Leigh Bawleys which are used
for shrimping, and the few rather larger Whitebaiters, are
still to be seen in considerable numbers. The industry is in a
satisfactory condition and Leigh boatbuilders are building new
vessels (now, of course, driven normally by motors, but carrying
sail for use in emergency or favorable circumstances). The
straight stem and long gaff with no Boom are characteristic
of the Leigh Bawley boats. They have keels and rounded
chines, that is they are deeper draught boats than Barges and
because of their deep keels require no leeboards as do Barges.
When they "take the ground" they lie over on one side, because
of the keel; formerly they used to be provided with legs so
that they could be kept upright when on the ground, but these
are not now carried (as far as I know, since long before the war).
They are worked by a crew of three or four (skipper, mate,
third hand, and perhaps a boy). The methods of fishing are
varied and include trawling, netting and several rather primitive
variants of hand-netting.
Harwich, Colchester and Brightlingsea provide another and
still bigger type of deepwater fishing boat, the "Colchester
Smack." These are fine vessels of some twenty tons and are