Freshwater fish: the monastic fishpond

The construction of fish ponds or 'stews', as they were known, meant a guaranteed supply of freshwater fish, such as trout, pike, perch, roach and bream. These ponds could be extensive and the ponds at Fountains' home grange at Haddockstones, which lay to the south of the abbey precinct, covered sixteen hectares. These ponds were arranged in four groups and had their own associated smokehouse, where the fish was cured.(5) Remains of these ponds survive at Park House Farm.(6)

Fishponds were generally enclosed by a wall, to keep out hungry predators and also, no doubt, to deter poaching. The upkeep of these ponds was not only time-consuming but expensive, for they had to be drained and cleaned regularly if they were not to stagnate, there were repairs to be made and inevitably they had to be restocked with fish.(7)

Fountains has been described as 'the main monastic pioneer' in fish-farming.(8) The community established an important fish-farming centre in Lower Nidderdale, at Cayton grange, which was about four miles from the abbey.(9) In the late twelfth century, certainly by 1185, Fountains had damned the waters at Cayton Gill to construct a series of ponds, and developed valuable techniques and methods here.(10)