Cockling

Cockling mostly took place in winter and spring from Hest Bank northwards around Morecambe Bay. Iron forks with three curved prongs and wooden handles, called craams, were commonly used to scoop the cockles out of the sand into baskets, also called tiernels. During winter a jumbo - a flat wooden board with handles - was used to soften the sand to suck the cockles to the surface. They were then gathered, sometimes using a small rake or hand drag, and riddled (sorted). They were then washed on the sands, bagged and taken by horse and cart to the railway station for despatch to markets inland. 

Whole families were often involved in cockling but women and children provided most of the labour. As the tide ebbed they walked onto the exposed wet sands, accompanied by horse and cart, and set about gathering the cockles until the tide began to flood once again.

Stooping for many hours in cold and wet conditions made the work difficult, unpleasant and frequently exhausting. Children were often absent from school during the busiest seasons. After the Second World War, tractors began to replace horses and carts as a means of accessing the sands and transporting the catch back to shore, although they continued in use until the 1960s. Today, quad bikes are used by some cocklers.