1. 1838.Minutes of Evidence364 Royal Commission on Trawl Net and Beam Trawl Fishing, 1884–85, Q. 8648 where A. W. Ansell stated that the first trawler came to the port in 1832 and in 1837 the same person discovered the Silver Pits. See also E. W. L. Holt, ‘An Examination of the Present State of the Grimsby Trawl Fishery’,Journal of the Marine Biological Association, III (N.S.) (1893–95), p. who states that William Sudds made the discovery in the winter of 1837. See also G. L. Alward,The Development of the British Fisheries(1911) for a chart of the North Sea which gives for the discovery of soles
2. 1843.Minutes of Evidence94 The earliest contemporary references discovered are in the of the Royal Commission on Sea Fisheries, 1866. No specific date was quoted although W. I. Markcrow, a smack-owner, who had been in the business at Hull for 18 years (Q. 6868) stated (g. 6894), when he was giving evidence in 1863 that the Silver Pits had been frequented for about 20 years [i.e. 1843] and E. W. H. Holdsworth,Deep Sea Fishing and Fishing Boats(1874), p. wrote ‘…the Great Silver Pit was first worked over during a very severe winter (about’
3. Hellyer, Charles. 1915.Hull as a Fishing PortEdited by: Franks, J. 36 in an article published in p. gave the date as about 1850 and referred to the smacks from Brixham. His father, Robert Hellyer, settled in Hull with his family about 1855, having come from Brixham
4. Holt, E. W. L. 364op. cit.