Family and Education

?s. of John Fish of Scarborough. m. Maria Waid, at least 1s.

Offices Held

Biography

Little is known about Fish, who was presumably descended from the Robert Fish who was bailiff at Scarborough in 1499. That the John Fish who was active in the town in 1572 may have been his father is based upon no more than that the dates fit the hypothesis. Fish himself was active at Scarborough in the 1580s and probably earlier. During the corporation’s struggle with Sir Henry Gates over the establishment of a rival market at Seamer, Fish opened a shop in Sir Henry’s market, thereby incurring the hostility of the corporation, which banned his trade. It is significant that Fish was returned to Parliament for Scarborough only when the Gates influence was re-established there in 1589.

Fish made his will 19 and died 26 Aug. 1591. He had bought several properties in Scarborough and Walsgrave, and on his death he owned four houses in the town with a cottage, meadow and pasture. His son and heir Robert was 13.

C142/236/2; PCC 8 Peter; J. B. Baker, Scarborough, 250; E134/27 Eliz. Hil. 17 York; Yorks. Fines (Yorks. Arch. Soc. rec. ser. vii), 123; York Wills (Yorks. Arch. Soc. rec. ser. xxii), 47.

Ref Volumes: 1558-1603

Author: N.M.S.

Notes