Known at least since Langland's Piers Plowman of 1393; "A ferthyng-worth of muscles..oþer so fele Cockes", the name appears to be applied to any bivalve mollusc in documents before about 1550.
Image: Unknown
Cockles are collected along sandy coasts, most notably Morecambe Bay and East Anglia, currently at a rate of some 11,000 tons per year.
2015