SMUGGLERS' BATTLES PART 1 - Five and twenty ponies. 1720 to 1738.

SMUGGLERS' BATTLES PART 1.

Five and twenty ponies. 1720 to 1738.

    A history of the skirmishes seen across Britain during the "golden age" of smuggling, gleaned from newspaper accounts from the time it shows how far both side would go to gain success.



November 1720;

    On Monday morning last very early were two boats of smugglers with goods from Ostend, having passed London Bridge, were attempted to be taken by some customs house officers, but they shot one of them in the eye (of which he died a few hours later) and proceeded, they were pursued almost to Chelsea.

October 1721;

    Last Sunday several horse grenadiers brought into Southwark a person suspected of smuggling, he was yesterday committed to the Fleet Prison.

December 1721;

    There has lately been a scuffle between the customs house officers and the smugglers, in which the latter were worsted, though double the number of the officers. In this engagement one Hughson, the ringleader of the smugglers was taken prisoner and brought away by the officers. Carried the next day before three Justices of the peace in order to suffer the penalty of the late act against smuggling, he was committed to the charge of a constable from whom he made his escape.

April 1722;

    They write from Lydd in Kent that two smugglers have defended themselves against the riding officers, were at last overpowered by them and carried prisoners to Lydd. But that on Sunday the 18th past in the morning there came ten horsemen to the prison having all of them pistols, swords and hatchets hanging by their sides.

The George Hotel, Lydd where this daring escape occurred.

    They demanded the two prisoners but were refused, upon which some of them got off their horses and entered the prison door and went upstairs firing their pistols before them as they went up. Coming to the door of the room where the two men were they broke it open and carried them off.
    One of the riding officers was shot in the arm by the men who were disguised as they could not be known, one of them was wounded and is since dead.

June 1722;

    They write from Colchester that several of the customs house officers have seized in an old barn near that town, a quantity of run brandy worth 500l. As also divers old guns and swords with which the smugglers use to defend themselves from justice.

October 1722;

    On the 27th some customs house officers belonging to Portsmouth seized at Stokes Bay six hogsheads and ten anchors of brandy, which is looked upon as a small part of what was run there last night.

Stokes Bay

    On the 31st October about twelve persons disguised and armed with swords and staves barbarously assaulted and beat Mr Joseph Clap, an office with the customs house at Portsmouth in the execution of his office. They stole from him his horse and arms and threatened at the same time several other officers of the customs.



January 1723;

    Yesterday was seized by the customs house officers at the White Hart Inn in Whitechapel, 4 bags of coffee of about 16 bushels and taken to the customs house, together with the waggon and horses which are forfeited.

The White Hart still exists and is a great pub to visit

February 1725;

    Edinburgh. An officer of the excise being informed that a considerable quantity of run brandy was hid underground at Stockbridge, about a mile from the city, went with a party of soldiers to seize it. They were strenuously opposed by a knot of countrymen who resisted the officer in the execution of his office and the soldiers firing shot one of the countrymen dead on the spot and two others are since dead of their wounds.

May 1725;

    We have an account from Eye in Suffolk of the following merry occurrence. Some smugglers having loaded a hearse with run brandy, with design to convey it farther into the country and being apprehensive that a certain person at Hexon near Eye, through which it was to pass, would inform the officer of excise and get it seized. One of the smugglers informed the officer himself that two hearses were to pass, one about three hours before the other and that in the first was just a dead corpse, but the last was full of brandy.
    Whereupon the officer permitted the first to pass, wherein was the booty and upon seizing the other found only a dead corpse.

 March 1728;

    Yesterday morning about 3 o'clock seven men on horseback were dogged to an inn near Long Acre and upon searching the hay loft by some of the King's officers assisted by a constable, there was 700 weight and upwards of tea. As the officers were doing their duty six men came with forks and other weapons and a battle ensued, but the officers and constable took three of them who are sent to New Prison.

New Prison, Camberwell

June 1730;

    Robert Kneale, commander of a customs house boat at Whitehaven, being with 3 men at an inn at Ryall near Annan, Scotland, waiting for the tide to bring up their boat. In the night the house was forced by a mob who in a very violent and barbarous manner beat and dangerously wounded Mr Kneale and his men and carried away their arms.

May 1732;

    A detachment of General Evan's Dragoons arrived here (Dover) on Friday last from their late quarters at Hereford in order to assist the customs house officers to prevent smuggling, which has grow to such height that an officer dare not attempt to do his duty, nor even a body of them.
    The Mayfield gang are so desperate, they were seen to go laden over Yeowell Minnis three times the week before last, all armed.

June 1733;

    Three smugglers and their horses were seized by the customs house officers of Greenwich, loaded with a great quantity of tea and other contraband goods, the persons were secured.

Dragoons on duty

    On the 10th instant a troop of Major General Gore's regiment of dragoons marched into the town of Yeovil in the county of Somerset to join another troop of the same regiment. This is in order to prevent any disturbances that might arise from a set of people remarkable for their disloyalty to his present Majesty and Government.




December 1734;

    The seizure of 7000wt of tea with a considerable amount of velvets, brocades and silks was brought up on Monday in waggons from Kent to the excise office by two officers and thirty dragoons who were concerned in seizing it and had 100 guineas given to them for their trouble.

July 1735;

    John Willson, alias Old York and John Biggs, alias Young York received sentence of death for aiding, abetting and assisting in the murder of William Cam a Dragoon. Cam who with three or four more and some Officers of the Customs had seized a large quantity of smuggled goods at Seamer near Hadleigh.

    They lay at Hadleigh that night and in the morning were attacked by a large number of smugglers among which were the prisoners. There was a sharp engagement between them in which Cam the Dragoon was killed and Biggs was shot through the calf with which shot his horse was killed.

    The two were seized in London and transported to Bury with a guard of soldiers. 

February 1736;

    A great seizure of brandy and other goods was made at Sittingborne in the county of Kent by two officers of the customs house assisted by four countrymen well armed. But the same was retaken from them by a party of six smugglers who wounded two of the countrymen and made off.

General Tatton's 3rd Regiment of Foot.

March 1736;

    On Tuesday the Customs House officers and soldiers that took the cargo of tea and John Cart, one of the smugglers, at Bexhill in Sussex and were examined before the Honorable Commissioners of the Customs. By their depositions it appears that the smugglers were so numerous and resolute that they beat off the party of Dragoons and the Officers of the Customs by plyed them so warmly they had no inclination to return to the battle. 

    But that a corps of Foot of the late General Tatton's regiment, consisting of a Sergeant, a corporal and seven privates who had been on another command accidently passed that way. They courageously attacked the smugglers and after having a hot dispute forced them to retreat and leave the cargo of tea behind. As the seizure was made and the gang defeated wholly be the valour of this small party 'tis not doubted they will have the profits of the capture which will be a hansom reward for their bravery. 

June 1736;

    They write from Kent that the customs house officers at Folkestone made a seizure of 1300lb of tea which they took from a gang of twenty smugglers.

Old Folkestone, post card.

October 1737;

    On Tuesday last Mr Bailey, Mr Mortimer and Mr Hurst His Majesties riding officers at Eastbourne in Sussex with the assistance of six dragoons made a seizure of 17 CW of tea and 105 half anchors of brandy, which they immediately carried to the customs house. The smugglers rode off well armed with blunderbusses but did not think proper to take their goods with them.

April 1738;

    On Monday the 19th instant, about one o'clock in the morning, Mr John Wheatley, a customs house officer at Pagham in the Port of Chichester with the assistance of two of his servants seized 25lb of tea, besides brandy and rum together with two horses and a waggon.
    Though the smugglers, who were five in number, and well armed, made a stout resistance and fired their blunderbuss at the officer and men, happily they missed.

November 1738;

    On Thursday night two customs house officers boarded the Samuel and Mary, Captain Holland made a seizure of five casks of brandy. Upon which the crew rose upon them, retook the brandy, manned each boat with eight men and rowed off huzzarring in triumph before the officers faces.