COCKLE

19th January 2024

Photo Credit: slowmotiongli (Getty Images), CANVA

QUOTATION

How should I your true love know?

From another one?

By his cockle hat and staff

And by his sandal shoon.

OPHELIA: Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5

COCKLE (Common Cockle: Cerastoderma edule)

Ophelia’s song makes reference to the Cockle shells worn on the hats of pilgrims. These shells are still associated with the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Campostela in Galicia. Cockleshells are mentioned in Shakespeare but there are two references to Cockles which are the Corncockle (Agrostemma githago) a wild plant (or weed depending on your viewpoint) of arable fields. Cockles were an important and widely available foodstuff as well as a symbol of pilgrimage.

Common Cockles are found in British and European waters, living in tidal and shallow waters. They are bivalves and burrow into the top layers of sand and sediment. Cockles are still an important marine resource and their sustainable management can support jobs and communities. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has 6 Cockle Fisheries certified for their sustainability in the North Atlantic, including the Thames Estuary Cockle Fishery.

More Information

Folger Shakespeare Library: Search Shakespeare’s Works

Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority (IFCA): Fisheries Management Plan (Cockle Management Plan being reviewed this year)

Marine Conservation Society (MCS): Good Fish Guide Cockles

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): Thames Estuary Cockle Fishery