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Notes
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William Spears (1812–1885), a successful fisherman, led a revolt against the tithes on fish levied by the Church of Scotland. The fight was a long 20 year battle with Spears spending time in jail before being bailed out from the local people. The fight resulted in the agreement of broker deal which allowed fishermen to buy out the tithe for £2,000. They were reluctant but Spears was worried that someone would end up being killed. Furthermore, the harbours were missing out on government funds for improvements. However, once the bank loan was paid off plans were drawn up for harbour improvements. Sadly, six weeks later the great fishing disaster of 1881 occurred, taking the lives of 189 Berwickshire fishermen. It is suspected that had these improvements been made sooner, the disaster would not have happened.
Title
Willie Spears (1812–1885)
Date
1998
Medium
bronze
Accession number
TD14_AM_S006
Acquisition method
commissioned by Eyemouth Community Council
Work type
Statue
Owner
Eyemouth Community Council
Custodian
Eyemouth Community Council
Work status
extant
Unveiling date
1998
Access
at all times