Wherry \Wher"ry\, n. [Cf. W. chwerw bitter.] A
liquor made from the pulp of crab apples after the verjuice is
expressed; -- sometimes called crab wherry.
[Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell. [1913 Webster]
Word Net
wherryNoun
1 sailing barge used especially in East Anglia
[syn: Norfolk
wherry]
2 light rowboat for use in racing or for
transporting goods and passengers in inland waters and
harbors
English
Noun
- A light embarcation used to navigate inland waterways.
- A flat-bottomed vessel previously employed by British merchants, notably in East Anglia. Some of these have now been converted into pleasure boats.
Quotations
- 1789, Olaudah
Equiano,
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
- Here I used to enjoy myself in playing about the bridge stairs, and often in the watermen's wherries, with other boys. On one of these occasions there was another boy with me in a wherry, and we went out into the current of the river: while we were there two more stout boys came to us in another wherry, and, abusing us for taking the boat, desired me to get into the other wherry-boat. Accordingly I went to get out of the wherry I was in; but just as I had got one of my feet into the other boat the boys shoved it off, so that I fell into the Thames; and, not being able to swim, I should unavoidably have been drowned, but for the assistance of some watermen who providentially came to my relief.
- 1928, Virginia
Woolf, Orlando
- The river was astir early and late with barges, wherries, and craft of every description.
See also
A wherry (meaning "boat") is a boat used for carrying cargo on
rivers and canals in England. Wherries
evolved into a gentleman's rowing boat. They are generally long and
narrow, with a straight stem, a wineglass stern and usually carvel
planked (smooth sides). The boat usually has two seats, one for the
rower, and one in the stern sheets for the passenger, although
longer ones can have a third seat forward. Modern longer craft are
often set up to be rowed with a sliding seat as either a single or
a double.
History
The original wherries along the Thames were water taxis. In the Elizabethan era, prior to Admiral Anson and the rise of the Royal Navy, and before landing stages were built along the river, the wherries were built with long overhanging bows so that patrons could step ashore dryshod. Once landing stages were built along the river, their bows took on the proportions still seen today.In the time of Shakespeare,
their use was widespread. One account concerning Shakespeare's
Globe
Theatre said, "Patrons were transported across the River Thames
to Southwark by 'wherry boats.' At one time over two thousand
wherries made their way to and from the theater district." The term
wherry or wherrie, and presumably knowledge of them, had become so
much a part of the culture at the time that the Coverdale
Bible of 1535 speaks of "All whirry men, and all maryners vpo
the see…" in the Book of
Ezekiel.
In North America, particularly in the Penobscot
Bay region of the Gulf of
Maine, wherries became the preferred boat for the longshore
Atlantic
salmon fishery. The Lincolnville Salmon Wherry, the Rhodes
Wherry, the Duck Trap Wherry, and the Christmas Wherry are still
being built for recreational use.
Name
People in Ireland with the name Wherry, may be related to the Wherrys of England, but there is another possibility. The name Wherry is an Anglicization of the Irish name o'eHeighir, the o'eH being aspirated and indeed, the name O'Hare, is another Anglicization of the root name o'eHeighir. The name originates from County Down.See also
External links
- Wherries by Walter J. Simmons, published in 2004.
wherry in French: Bachot