Monument record 10886 - King's Pool, River Dee fishery

Associated with the possession of the Dee Mills was the control of the salmon and eel fisheries, which provided a substantial secondary income. Earl Hugh Lupus granted fisheries above the weir to several of his dependents, keeping for himself the Earl's Poole next to the weir. There appear to have been fisheries on both sides of the bridge. The latter was reserved for the king. Richard the Engineer, who leased the mills for 12 years from 1284, claimed compensation for flood damage which prevented him from fixing fish weirs under the bridge and the sluices of the fishery (1).

Fishing in the Dee River was an important industry with several sites mentioned around the Dee Bridge in the medieval and post medieval periods. The King’s Pool was the royal fish preserve above the Causeway (now the Salmon Leap Flats). A second fish preserve was noted between the Causeway and the bridge. This pool was described in the 13th century as ‘a fishery with four boats in River Dee called quatuor stall’ and may have referred to an earlier form of the Leap Flats. (5)

<1> Bennett R & Elton J, 1898, History of Cornmilling, /55-123 (Book). SCH1417.

<2> Harris, B.E., 1979, Bartholomew City Guides - Chester, /149 (Book). SCH394.

<3> Ward, S. W., 2009, Chester: A History, p46 (Book). SCH5305.

<4> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 469670 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

<5> Dodgson J McN, 1970-2, 1981, The Place-Names of Cheshire, Vol 5.1. P48 (Book). SCH3228.