The Terminology of Oysters in Britain and France

Various terms are applied to oysters. Some refer to their species; some to their original provenance, that is to say, where the seed came from; some to the places in which they have been reared or readied for marketing; some to the manner in which they have been cultured; and some to their size.

The terms used in Britain of British oysters are as follows:

NATIVE OYSTERS are those which are reared from indigenous stock.

WHITSTABLE OYSTERS are from the vicinity of Whitstable in Kent. They are mostly relaid seed oysters from Brittany, and none the worse for that. However, ROYAL WHITSTABLES, an appellation controlled by the Company of Free Fishers and Dredgers of Whitstable, are genuine English natives.