Heworth, Sueor Fishery

Sueor in 1195, Suere in 1279, Suor. 'Sewiere' is Old French for 'channel to carry off overflow from a fishpond'. After 1299 the word becomes sewer, syver, syre, seweres. Owned by the prior of Durham. Trespassed beyond its allowed extent by 51 Fathoms in 1279. The main catch would have been salmon, but in fact a wider range of fish would have been taken (eg. Eels, pike, minnow, burbot, trout and lamprey' {G.N. Garmondsway (ed), 1939, 'Aelfric's Colloquy', pp 101-2}.