236 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
of shrimps. Before the shrimps are cooked they are passed
through a sieve, so that the small shrimps may be put back into
the sea to grow bigger. Sifting is done either by holding the sieve
away from the bulwark, the small shrimps falling directly into the
sea, or on deck, washing the deck afterwards by buckets of sea-
water. The retained shrimps are also washed with sea-water
before they are stored temporarily in large baskets. Of course,
a proportion of the catch will be dead if riddling is delayed,
especially during the summer months.
The sieves were instituted in 1830, or even earlier, and since
their introduction they have not changed radically. The entire
sieve measures 18 inches in diameter, and it is 31/2 inches deep.
There are five or six stout wires or cross bars, to which are
fastened at right angles thinner and more flexible wires. These
give oblong spaces between the wires (Plate 11b). The sieves or
riddles are known locally as a "twopence-halfpenny", "three-
penny", "threepence-halfpenny", or a "fourpenny" riddle. As the
name suggests, the distance apart of the wires is the thickness
of these coins. The riddles most commonly used in the Thames
area are the "threepenny" and the "threepence-halfpenny"
riddles. It is of interest to point out that 100 years ago the
Leigh fishermen used the "penny" and the "penny-halfpenny''
sieve. Marketable size shrimps sold at that period must have
been considerably smaller than those at present.
The shrimps are cooked in copper boilers. Sea-water is used
for boiling and, of course, salt is added according to each in-
dividual fisherman's own particular liking, or whether the shrimps
will be sent away to inland markets or sold locally. More salt
is added in the former case. No salt is added if the shrimps will
be required for peeling and potting. When the water is brought
to the boil, by means of a small coal fire, a quantity of shrimps
is thrown in and this is allowed to boil for a few minutes, usually
until the whole quantity comes to the surface. Whilst being
cooked the shrimps are occasionally stirred round by the hoop
or "digel". When the shrimps are cooked they are removed by
the hoop and spread over a net or wooden frames to dry (Plate
11b). Eventually, they are placed in small sacks or hampers for
transportation. In early times and up to the opening of the rail-
way to Southend, the shrimps were transmitted to London in
baskets, known as "pads". They were said to have held from 8
to 10 gallons of shrimps.
About 100 years ago the shrimps were not cooked at sea, but
were placed in a well, constructed in the same manner as those
in the cod-smacks. There they were kept alive till brought ashore
in the afternoon. At Leigh there were eight boiling houses, nearly
all close to the High Street. The shrimpers had to take turn in
their use, a halfpenny or a penny being the charge for boiling
shrimps.
The first boiler set up in a square-stern bawley was of heavy
cast iron, bricked up all round (about 1860). These were so