Object number
64/23
Title
Putcher,
Exhibition
Creator
Description
This putcher, a basket for catching salmon in use since the 10th century, was made by Ivor Cadogan of Blakeney, Gloucestershire. It is made of 18 stakes of brown willow with six rounds of fitching. It would have been assembled with others with poles in a barrage across the River Severn. Other names for the putcher include ‘putcheon’ and ‘putchard’ in Gloucestershire, ‘fish-garth’ in Cumberland, and ‘kiddle’ in Thames and Medway.
Physical description
1 cone shaped trap: willow
Label Text
SALMON TRAP // DETAILS // Categories A Year On the Farm // Theme(s) Animals, Food and drink, Health nutrition and medicine // Collection Trapping and Hunting Objects // Date 1964 // Object number 64/23 // DESCRIPTION // The best way to trap salmon is to make them trap themselves. // So effective is the design of the ‘putcher’ that it has barely changed in 1000 years. Fishermen on the River Severn would arrange dozens of these traps between sticks buried in the mud of the river and forming a wall. The salmon would then simply swim into the traps, and the fishermen would collect them. // Until the 1950s seasonal salmon were caught using basketwork traps like this. They are now more commonly fished year round on special farms. But farmed fish have fewer Omega-3s, which are beneficial to human health, so they are sometimes fed genetically modified cereals to add these extra fatty acids.
Archival history
MERL 'Catalogue of baskets' form – 'NAME: PUTCHER (SALMON TRAP) // Acc. No.: 64/23 // Group: FISHING. FRESHWATER. // Neg. no.: 60/5326 // Place of origin: Blakeney. Gloucestershire. // Period in use: 10th century or earlier until present day. // DESCRIPTION // Materials: Brown willows. // Shape and construction: see 64/22. // Dimensions: Length 64” Diam: 26” tapering to 3” // Use: Assembled with poles in the river Severn to make a barrage to catch salmon. // Dialect names: // Distribution: // Additional notes: see 64/22.'
Production place
Blakeney [Gloucestershire]
Production date
1964 - 1964
Object name
Material
Technique
Dimensions
- Length 1626 mm
- Diameter 660 mm
Associated subject
Associated person/institution
External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_5326.tif - High resolution image
- L:\MERL\Objects\Baskets\64_23_cob.tif - High resolution image
- L:\MERL\Objects\Baskets\64_23_doc_01.tif - High resolution image
