# Fishing Superstitions & Local Folklore of Hessle Road Canonical: https://hessleroad.com/fishing-superstitions.html Ten traditions, omens and local yarns remembered by the community. ## Never wash on sailing day Type: Remembered custom Place: Fishing-family households Period / source date: Remembered in community interviews Some families avoided washing clothes on the day a fisherman sailed, fearing that it might symbolically wash him away. Interviewees in University of Hull research remember the custom’s importance and its survival in some households. Context and research: A washing line makes a simple illustration of the connection families felt between actions at home and a loved one’s safety at sea. The custom was not followed by every household. Sources: [University of Hull dissertation hosted by STAND: section 4.3, Superstition, printed pages 24–25](https://www.hullfishingheritage.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/002_Dissertation_STAND.pdf) ## Never ask when he is going back Type: Remembered taboo Place: Conversations with returning fishermen Period / source date: Remembered in community interviews An interviewee recalled avoiding questions about when a fisherman would return to sea: the question could feel as though the speaker was wishing him away. Context and research: This is a remembered local social taboo. It helps explain how ordinary words could carry special meaning in a community shaped by dangerous voyages. Sources: [University of Hull dissertation hosted by STAND: section 4.3, Superstition, printed pages 24–25](https://www.hullfishingheritage.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/002_Dissertation_STAND.pdf) ## The farewell wave Type: Fishing superstition Place: Departures from St Andrew’s Dock Period / source date: Fishing-community tradition Some fishermen’s wives avoided waving farewell to departing trawlers. Local accounts connect the gesture with the fear of a wave carrying their loved one overboard. Context and research: The belief belongs to the community’s departure customs. It should be described as something remembered by some families, rather than a rule observed by everyone. Sources: [Angus Young, Curiosity Hull: What Is Hull’s Unluckiest Address?](https://curiosityhull.co.uk/what-is-hulls-unluckiest-address/) ## The forbidden colour green Type: Fishing superstition Place: At sea and in Hull homes; a Hessle Road shop anecdote Period / source date: Recorded by Alec Gill Green was considered unlucky by some fishing families, extending to clothing and household furnishings. Alec Gill also records an anecdote about green bicycles being difficult to sell at Halford’s on Hessle Road. Context and research: This is an account of a colour taboo, not a statement that green causes misfortune. Families’ own memories can help show how strongly, and for how long, it was observed. Sources: [Dr Alec Gill, The Hull Hub: Home, Sweet Omens, published online 2020](https://thehullhub.co.uk/home-sweet-omens-a-fun-meander-through-an-old-fashioned-superstitious-household-by-dr-alec-gill-mbe/) ## The animals you mustn’t name Type: Word taboo Place: Hull fishing crews and families Period / source date: Memoir and oral-history research George Robinson remembers fishermen substituting “grunter” for “pig”. Alec Gill records Hull trawlermen using alternative names for rabbits, including descriptions of their long ears. The precise taboos and substitutes varied between crews and ports. Context and research: These examples are supported by local accounts. Wider stories about fishermen refusing to sail after encountering animals should not automatically be assigned to Hessle Road. Sources: [George Robinson’s Memoirs, Part Five, published by David Robinson](https://fragrant.substack.com/p/george-robinsons-memoirs-part-five); [Dr Alec Gill, The Hull Hub: The Mad Month of March, published online 2020](https://thehullhub.co.uk/the-mad-month-of-march-from-white-rabbits-to-mothers-day/) ## Witches in eggshell boats Type: Maritime folk tale Place: Wider maritime folklore recorded in Hull’s household traditions Period / source date: Discussed by Alec Gill Empty eggshells were crushed so witches could not use them as little boats to trouble sailors. Gill includes this maritime belief in his account of Hull households, illustrating it through an older poem about witches putting to sea. Context and research: This is a shared maritime legend recorded locally, rather than a story originating solely on Hessle Road. Our illustration is a playful interpretation of the belief. Sources: [Dr Alec Gill, The Hull Hub: Home, Sweet Omens, published online 2020](https://thehullhub.co.uk/home-sweet-omens-a-fun-meander-through-an-old-fashioned-superstitious-household-by-dr-alec-gill-mbe/) ## The future in a teacup Type: Remembered fortune-telling Place: A fishing-family home in George Robinson’s recollections Period / source date: Personal memoir George Robinson recalls women gathering in his family home to have their tea leaves read. After their individual readings, they compared the predictions. His memoir gives a personal account of fortune-telling in the community. Context and research: The recollection documents a practice, not the accuracy of the predictions. We retain its character as one person’s memory rather than generalising it to every family. Sources: [George Robinson’s Memoirs, Part Five, published by David Robinson](https://fragrant.substack.com/p/george-robinsons-memoirs-part-five) ## Messages in the coal fire Type: Household omens Place: Hull fishing-family households Period / source date: Recorded by Alec Gill Gill records sparks and soot being interpreted as omens of letters, babies or trouble at sea. One mother read steam escaping from coal as a sign that her husband’s ship was preparing to come home. Context and research: These are examples of domestic folklore collected locally. They offer an intimate view of how families expressed their hopes and worries through everyday objects. Sources: [Dr Alec Gill, The Hull Hub: Home, Sweet Omens, published online 2020](https://thehullhub.co.uk/home-sweet-omens-a-fun-meander-through-an-old-fashioned-superstitious-household-by-dr-alec-gill-mbe/) ## Liverpool Street’s “unluckiest address” Type: History behind a nickname Place: 24 Liverpool Street Period / source date: Five losses reported between 1911 and 1940 Research reported by Angus Young connects 24 Liverpool Street with five residents lost in separate tragedies at sea between 1911 and 1940. The address’s ominous nickname reflects repeated human loss; it is not evidence that the house was cursed or haunted. Context and research: This deserves a respectful historical account. Original crew, address and loss records should underpin any expanded family histories, with each man remembered as an individual. Sources: [Angus Young, Curiosity Hull: What Is Hull’s Unluckiest Address?](https://curiosityhull.co.uk/what-is-hulls-unluckiest-address/) ## The Monkey House pub yarn Type: Oral local saying Place: Robbie’s, also remembered as the Old Vic or Monkey House Period / source date: Collected local memories Collected Hessle Road memories repeat the explanation that the Monkey House got its nickname because sailors brought monkeys there. The source presents this as a saying, rather than a verified account of how the name began. Context and research: The name and explanation can be explored through directories, photographs and independent memories. We do not combine this pub yarn with unrelated stories about sailors keeping monkeys at home. Sources: [Unsung Stories: collected Hessle Road memories, Monkey House nickname](https://unsungstoriesblog.wordpress.com/stories/) Decorative illustrations are imagined, not documentary evidence. Research reviewed 10 October 2026.