Lyric explanation-'cran' in Fisher's 'Final Trawl'

Subject: Lyric explanation
From: kendall
Date: 09 Jul 08 - 07:41 AM

Archie Fisher wrote a song about the sad condition of commercial fishing. He calls it, "The Final Trawl", and there is a word I don't know the meaning of. and the final trawl scarcely nets a cran..What is a cran?

Subject: RE: Lyric explanation
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 09 Jul 08 - 07:44 AM

OED:

A measure of capacity for fresh herrings as caught; fixed by the Fisheries Board at 37 gallons (about 750 fish).

Up to 1815 the cran was measured by heaping full a herring-barrel with the ends taken out, which was then lifted, leaving the heap on the ground or floor. In 1816, the Commissioners for the Herring Fishery fixed the capacity of the 'cran' at 42 gallons, Old Wine Measure, which in 1832 was raised to 45 gallons, 42 gallons when 'pined' being found insufficient to make a barrel of bung-packed herrings. In 1852 the contents were given in Imperial measure as 37 gals., making, when pined, a barrel of 30 gals.

You'll be wondering about 'pined' - I know I am.

OED:

To dry or cure (fish, meat, etc.) by exposure to the weather.

Subject: RE: Lyric explanation
From: GUEST,CrazyEddie
Date: 09 Jul 08 - 07:45 AM

From an online dictionary:

"Cran a measure of fish, about 750 herrings, 1797."

See also "The Shoals of Herring"
"With a hundred cran of the silver darlings, that we'd taken from the Shoals of herring"

Subject: RE: Lyric explanation
From: Snuffy
Date: 09 Jul 08 - 08:52 AM

We took crans, they take tons
And no-one bloody cares.

Cheap Boat, Jon Heslop

Subject: RE: Lyric explanation-'cran' in Fisher's 'Final Tr
From: kendall
Date: 09 Jul 08 - 08:48 PM

And there it is. Thanks for the explanation.
In our sardine fishery we use that old measure, the Hogshead. (17.5 bushels)

Subject: RE: Lyric explanation-'cran' in Fisher's 'Final Trawl'
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 10 Jul 08 - 08:35 AM

Plenty of posters here still do that..