SMUGGLERS' BATTLES PART 6 - ...and Smugglers To A Man, 1790 to 1799.

 

SMUGGLERS' BATTLES PART 6

...and Smugglers To A Man, 1790 to 1799.

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.

March 1790;

    Some few days since a smuggling cutter was chased by one of the Shoreham custom house cutters, quite to the coast of France, where the smugglers found themselves so hard pressed, they run the vessel ashore and with so much violence that she was dashed to pieces. The customs house cutter, in the eagerness of her chase, shared the same fate.

    A very considerable seizure was made on the coast of Cornwall, of soap, which had been exported and relanded, consisting of 4500lb weight.

September 1791;

Penzance.

    In consequence of an information, Mr Miller, exciseman of Helston and several other officers were proceeding to board a smuggling cutter, which lay off Land’s End and supposed to belong to a person at Penzance.

    As the boat drew near they were hailed by the people on board the cutter who defied them to keep off, as they were determined not to be searched. But the officers persevered in their intention, the crew of the cutter fired upon them by which Mr Miller was shot through the head, another person in the breast, both of whom instantly expired. A third died this morning of his wounds and a fourth his arm is broken. The smuggling cutter escaped.

November 1791;

    The cook of the Badger excise cutter, which lately had an action with a large smuggling lugger, has been obliged to undergo an amputation of both his legs. The smuggler is said to belong to Ruth, in Ireland.

    Last week, at Truro, in Cornwall, Robert Smith, a private in the 34th Regiment, and two men belonging to the town, for a trifling wager tried which could drink the greatest quantity of brandy, which was won by the former who drank nearly a pint more than either of his competitors; he presently fell into a sleep, from which he never more awoke. He was buried on Saturday last. Not a smuggling tale but an interesting tale nonetheless.

December 1793;

    Last Monday a Row Galley, belonging to Shoreham customs house, fell in with a smuggling cutter off the above place, and attempted to board her. Upon which one of the cutter's men appeared on deck, declared he would not be boarded and warned the boat's crew against the folly and peril of making such an attempt, but in vain. 

Shoreham Customs House

    When the more effectually to intimidate them, without having recourse to more desperate means, several musket shots were fired from the cutter over the heads of the boatmen, but with little effect. For the cockswain being a man of greater resolution than judgement, he persisted in his design, 'till he had so provoked the smugglers that they fired into his boat and killed one man.

    When the rest tacked about and sheered off, 'tis said, without obtaining the least knowledge of any of the persons who had, though reluctantly committed the murder, and would afterwards have sunk the boat, but from some accidental miscarriage in the discharge of their stern guns.

October 1794;

25^th October, 

Mutton Cove, Cornwall

    Last night an affray happened between cutter boat’s crew and some smugglers at Mutton Cove, in which the former were much beat and a man was killed, his body was found floating in Mutton Cove.

May 1796;

    The Hound revenue cutter, Capt Hawke, has captured and sent into Shoreham a French row boat privateer, from Havre; he had been out one day and had taken nothing but was in chase of a loaded vessel bound from London to Bristol.

May 1796;

Bodmin Gaol, the home of many a smuggler.

    Isabella Williams, a woman, genteelly and even fashionably dressed, was yesterday brought into the Court of King's Bench to receive judgement for the extraordinary offence of having sallied out, at the head of 20 men, armed with pistols and other offensive weapons, to attack a party of customs house officers in Cornwall.

    Her council pleaded her sex in mitigation of punishment, but Justice Ashurst observed, that such a plea, if fully admitted, would he believed, presently transfer the business of such assaults from male into female hands. She was sentenced to be imprisoned 12 months in a Cornwall jail.

May 1796;

Custom House London.

    Whereas it has been represented to the commissioners of His Majesty's Customs, that in the morning of the 8th of March last Wm Vernon Simpson Sitter, together with Matthew Hindes, Henry Warren and Thomas Warren, boatmen, belonging to a boat employed in the service of the customs, then stationed in the port of Woodbridge, in the County of Suffolk.

Woodbridge Harbour

    Being upon duty at Bawdsey Ferry, within the said port, observed a smuggling vessel coming into the Woodbridge Harbour, upon which they immediately took their said boat and pursued her and after some time got alongside of the said vessel they boarded her.

    That as soon as the said officers had got on board of the said vessel a number of the crew came upon deck and compelled the said officers to go under the hatches, where they confined them from about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, until nine o'clock in the evening of the same day. 

    During which time the smugglers got their vessel near the shore and there landed a great quantity of uncustomed goods, after which the smugglers released the officers and permitted them to depart in their boat and then proceeded to sea with their said vessel, which appeared to said officers to be about 25 tons burthen.

March 1797;

Saltdean Gap

    Last Monday night the Stag cutter, Captain Haddock, belonging to Rye, seized from a smuggling cutter off Saltdean Gap, upwards of 900 tubs of contraband spirits, just as the smugglers were about to land them.

    Capt Haddock the same night fell in with a smuggling boat off Beachy Head, from which he took 100 bales of muslin and several bags of tobacco.

June 1798;

The dramatic coast at Wick.

   Last Friday night a smuggling cutter, in danger of being taken by a Revenue cutter, run a boat load of cargo near Wick, which the Captain in the service of the customs observing, ordered some of his men on shore in the jolly boat.

  

    Who on their landing attacked the smugglers and made a Seizure of all the goods they had landed but not till they had fired upon the contraband traders one of whom it is said was so terribly wounded that he is since dead.

March 1799;

Customs House London.

The Fencibles, a kind of home guard

    Whereas it has been represented to the commissioners of His Majesty's Customs, that in the evening of the 19th Jan. last, William Woodward and Benjamin Lowsey, two boatmen in the service of the customs at the port of Southwold in Suffolk, having reason to suspect that some cutters would arrive on that coast, with smuggled goods, went upon his duty, accompanied by some Fencibles stationed in that neighbourhood. That about one or two o'clock in the morning of Sunday the 20th of the said month, having before fallen in with about 20 carts near Dunwich, all of which were empty and appeared to be waiting for the arrival of such goods.

    They were violently attacked by a large gang of smugglers armed with loaded whips, sticks and other offensive weapons, who beat said officers of the customs and the Fencibles in a violent manner, and threw one of the Fencibles into the sea and took away from the officer Woodward his cutlass and from the Fencibles a blunderbuss, a cutlass and a pike and otherwise behaved in a very outrageous manner.

November 1799;

Customs House London.

    Whereas it has been humbly represented to His Majesty, that on the 24th July last, a smuggling lugger being observed by some officers of the Revenue in Cricketh Bay, in the County of Carnarvon, then landing her goods, Richard Bridgewater, Supervisor of Excise, Maurice Williams, Tide Surveyor of the customs at Pwllhely, together with two tide waiters and some other officers in the service of the customs, went in a boat in pursuit of her.

Criccieth Bay.

    That when they came within three or four hundred yards of the said smuggling vessel (the customs house colours being then flying in the boat) the officers hailed her, upon which the smugglers asked what boat it was, and upon being told the King's Boat, they ordered the officers to keep off, or abide by the consequences. But being told by the officers that they should not, the smugglers immediately fired a musket, the ball from which came very near the King's Boat.

    

    The smugglers then fired eight other muskets, a ball from one of which passed between the fore and main mast of the King's Boat and another close behind the officer Bridgewater, and upon the smugglers threatening to drive the officers into the water if they did not keep off, they returned without being able to board the said smuggling vessel.

SMUGGLERS' BATTLES PART 5 - 'Baccy For The Clerk, 1780 to 1789.

SMUGGLERS' BATTLES PART 5

'Baccy For The Clerk, 1780 to 1789.

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 1780;

    Information having been received at the excise office, that a large party of smugglers, with a considerable quantity of run tea and other goods, were expected yesterday morning in town, a strong detachment from Col. Harcourt’s Regiment of Light Horse was early sent to intercept them. 

Poultry Compter

    These meeting with the smugglers, near Paddington, a smart skirmish ensued, which was continued through Holborn and several other streets, till they came to near Duke’s Place and other eastern parts of the town, the usual repositories of these adventurers. 
    The soldiers here prevailing, the smugglers dispersed and several horses and coaches, with their cargoes, conveyed safe to the King’s warehouse. 

    There were 12 men with horses and five coaches, all fully laden. Several of the smugglers were greatly hurt, one in particular so much wounded, that he was carried to the London Hospital with very little hopes of recovery. 

    Nine others were taken, eight of whom were committed by the Lord Mayor for further examination to the Poultry Compter and the ninth to that of Wood Street. 

November 1781;

The very impressive Deal Castle 

    A letter from Dover received on Tuesday, mentions a great riot having happened on Sunday evening between some smugglers on horseback and the military, when after some hours desperate skirmish they took from the smugglers 18 loaded waggons of different sorts of India merchandise, which they safely lodged in Deal castle, to the amount of 26,000l. During the skirmish, it is said, many lives were lost. The Deal gang were becoming a thorn in the government's side, as such Deal started to attract a lot of military activity.

June 1782;

Monday last a seizure was made near Lombard Street, by Mr Phillips, a surveyor of the land carriage and three assistants, of India goods supposed to be worth 30,000l, being the greatest quantity of goods ever brought to the customs house at one time. The same evening, 13 bags of tea were seized (by the same party) near St. Giles, but after a very long and most dangerous engagement, the tea was retaken by the smugglers and the officers bruised in a most terrible manner.

February 1783;

A letter from Deal, Feb 11.

“On Saturday night last Messers Hubbard and Harris, officers of excise, with upwards of 60 of General Douglas’s Light Dragoons, came to this town and proceeded to break open several store houses at the north end of the town, to search for contraband goods. The proprietors of the different buildings, however, and a large body of townsmen assembled together to oppose them. The soldiery fired, the townsmen returned fire, a number of shots were exchanged, but, luckily, I do not hear of any lives being lost. 

    At last, however, the excisemen and dragoons, finding a powerful body against them, thought proper to decamp. A small quantity of goods were seized, but cannot learn the particulars. Three of the dragoons horses have died of their wounds. At present all is quiet and peaceable.”

May 1784;

Deal May 2.

    A desperate contest took place on Friday evening last, between Capt. Bray, of one of His Majesty’s cutters stationed here to watch the smugglers and the noted Brown, who committed so many depredations during the late war and has been outlawed. 

    Being a native of Deal, there was no one who should be bold enough to attempt to apprehend him, since the war he carried on the practice of smuggling and on Friday last he sailed out of Dunkirk with a cargo of contraband goods. Capt. Bray had watched him very narrowly and about 10 o’clock on Friday evening a terrible firing was heard in the Downs, occasioned by an attack made by Capt. Bray, in a row boat, on Brown who was also in a row boat. 

    Capt. Bray boarded him and though Brown presented a blunderbuss, both of them not half a yard distant from each other, Capt. Bray was not daunted. One of his men, seeing his brave master in this situation, with a cutlass cut Brown’s cheek clean off, Bray mounted a stroke and with his cutlass nearly severed his head from his body and so put a period to this pirates life. Bray lost one man, Brown had, with himself, three killed and two wounded and two taken prisoner.

July 1784;

    On the 29th ult, Capt. Stephens, of the Monkey cutter on the Lowestoft station, having received information of a large cargo of contraband goods being intended to be landed that night, immediately put to sea and having cleared the land, soon fell in with two smuggling cutters, one of 14 the other of 2 guns. 

    An action immediately commenced and was maintained with great bravery on one side and with much obstinacy on the other, for near four hours and twenty minutes. When the Monkey being much disabled, her Captain losing his left arm in the course of the first few minutes of the engagement and having 12 men killed and 21 wounded, was unable to prevent the smugglers from landing their cargo, which they did in open day and in triumph. The smuggling cutters were well manned, the Monkey only carries 12 guns and 60 men, above half were killed or wounded in the engagement.

July 26^th; 

    The Oresters sloop of war, Captain Ellis, commander, lying in Cowes Road having advice that two smuggling vessels had arrived at Christchurch Point at the mouth of the Avon, on Wednesday, laden with teas, brandy ect from Guernsey and Jersey. 

    They made a feint of sailing eastwards and arrived at Christchurch very unexpectedly on Thursday evening. But, the smugglers had already landed their cargoes (the same that the troops from Lymington were in quest of) and were most of them in all about 300 in the town and neighbourhood. 

    When the Oresters came near shore she manned two tenders and sent them alongside the smugglers, demanding of those on board to surrender. This summons was immediately answered by a discharge of small arms, whereby several of the Oresters crew were wounded and as it is reported the Captain of the tender killed.

    This alarmed the crews and brought them down to the shore in great numbers, the Oresters bringing her guns to bear thereon to prevent their going on board, which however many of them effected regardless of the cannon shot flying around them. The action lasted from six until nine in the evening when victory was declared for the royalists, many of whom are wounded and some killed, several of the smugglers are also wounded.

    The Oresters departed on Friday morning taking with her the two smuggling vessels, supposed to be worth more than 4000 pounds and also their long boats which the crews had sunk with the hopes of preserving. One of the smugglers vessels was quite new and this was her first trip.

When the Oresters docked at Cowes a letter was sent explaining the full extent of the battle on the 26^th, “the smuggling cutter mounting 24 six and nine pounders, laden with 6000 casks of spirit and near 13 tons of tea. The Oresters had 2 killed and 9 wounded. The smuggling cutter is supposed to be the British Lion and had all her crew killed except 15 men who are confined in irons, this was the 5^th smuggling vessel the Oresters has captured, Captain Ellis received a slight wound in his arm during the action.”

    On the 27^th January 1786 George Coombes was hanged and then gibbeted near Christchurch harbour for the murder of  William Allen, master of the Oresters.

March 1785;

Packhorse Bridge near Drigg Carleton

    Customs officers seized of 12 ankers of spirit and 8 chests of black tea which had just been landed by a smuggling cutter (which lay still in sight), together with the horses and three carts at Ravensglass in Millom.  But in escorting the whole seizure to His Majesties warehouse in Whitehaven, the next day they were attacked on the high road near Drigg Carleton by several persons.

    Several of them on horseback all of them armed, their faces blackened and most of them disguised as women, who rescued the goods and carried the whole off. On the news reaching Whitehaven the military were dispatched with several officers of the customs in pursuit of the smugglers, they returned unable to effect a thing.

May 1785;

    On Thursday 25^th May a desperate contest took place at Town Malling, in Kent, between three revenue officers and a gang of smugglers, consisting of six or seven armed horsemen.

    After several discharges on both sides, four of the smugglers were secured, two of them being wounded in the body, one in the shoulder and another in the arm. On seeing their companions fall the rest rode off.

June 1785;

    The Hawk and Lark revenue lugger stationed at the port of Falmouth fell in with the Happy Go Lucky smuggling shallop belonging to Cawsand and commanded by one Thomas Wellard, when the said shallop , being hailed by the customs house lugger to bring to, the crew of the said shallop  feloniously fired into the Hawk, whereupon an engagement ensued which lasted a considerable time.

Pendennis Castle

    The smugglers finding themselves overpowered by the revenue vessel and their commander killed and several others killed and wounded, thought fit to surrender and being taken possession of were after committed to Pendennis Castle.

    From whence after knocking down the sergeant and some of the sentinels they made their escape between seven and eight o’clock, a reward of one hundred pounds has been offered by His Majesties Customs for the discovery of the offenders.

August 1786;

    A letter from Dunwich (15^th), in Suffolk has the following article: “Last Friday a smuggling vessel having got into a creek near this town, which runs by the side of a wood, in which they land their goods. Some revenue officers, having got intelligence of it, went and seized the vessel and going under the hatches to see what they could find there, the smugglers shut down the hatches and put out to sea immediately. The officers have not since been heard of, it is feared they have been thrown overboard.

August 1787;

    Fowey, Aug 4^th. Yesterday Robert Bundle, officer in the customs in this port, in company with John Edwards and Lawrence Gill, excise officers, fell in with six horses loaded with 12 cwt of hyson tea, which they made a seizure of.

After a very obstinate resistance made by the six daring smugglers, in which contest two horses were shot dead, one smuggler killed and excise officer John Edwards dangerously wounded between the shoulders. The goods are safely lodged in the customs house.

November 1787;

Honiton, November 4^th. 

    Yesterday morning three excise officers, on being informed that a party of smugglers would return from the sea coast laden with spirits by way of Roncombe’s Gulf turnpike gate, lay in wait for them near that place.

The Roncombe Lane Turnpike

    The body of smugglers, six in number with horses laden with spirits had artfully sent two of their number on before, on being attacked by the excise officers offered up their goods, at which the officers told them to give up their horses and be gone. They begged the officers a drink and while they were making preparations for that purpose the other smugglers caught up and a furious and bloody engagement ensued.

    The excisemen being armed stood their ground for some time, particularly Mr  Jenkins of Honiton and Mr Scott a supernumerary from Ottery division. These two being knocked down with large stones thrown by the smugglers were overpowered by numbers who taking their cutlasses from them exercised them with more than savage barbarity, while those who had not got weapons made use of large stones until they left their mangled carcasses most horrid objects to behold. The other exciseman saw the danger his person was in and made his escape.

September 1789;

    The Ferret excise cutter fell in with a smuggling lugger at anchor on the coast of Cornwall and the weather falling calm, two boats from the Ferret attempted to board her, under the command of Captain Morris and his mate Mr Parry.

    On the boats coming along side they were attacked in a most desperate manner, which put them under the necessity of firing on the lugger (but not until the Captain and five men were much wounded, some of them it is feared mortally) they soon obliged the smugglers to beg for mercy, two being killed and several wounded.

    When Captain Morris with great humanity ordered his men to cease firing ran his own boat between his consort and the lugger. The smugglers took to their boat and got on shore, where they found protection from the country people who had been hovering about in sight during the whole action.

Sir Oswald & Lady Mosley visit Hobbs End - A Mean Streets Tabletop Game in 28mm.

       Sir Oswald & Lady Mosley visit Hobbs End.

                        Terrible Scenes, Many Injured, Police Attacked.

A surprise visit by Sir Oswald & Lady Mosley caused much consternation in Hobbs End yesterday, Park Road and Hobbs Park were filled with Blackshirts from all over the East End. Sir Oswald and his men have been constantly denied the use of Hobbs Hall, however, no one can stop him posing for the camera outside of the building.  

Local opposition quickly mobilised, street meetings were convened and a march against Mosley was created in the High Street, mounted police were on the scene in minutes.

With the march being halted on the High Street tensions were rising, some anti Fascists made it through to Station Road and made their way towards Hobbs Park and a line of police.

In the park the Sir Oswald was addressing the crowd, the loud cheers almost drowning out the sound of opposition as the crowd in Station Road drew near. Suddenly in High Street fighting broke out, the mounted police cracked heads left and right.

The fighting in the High Street was over quite quickly, resulting in one policeman needing medical treatment and several arrests. A few of the Communists broke through the police line and headed towards the park to disrupt the Fascist meeting. On Station Road there was considerable pushing and shoving between the police and protesters, violence was imminent.

In the blink of an eye fists, clubs and truncheons flew into action, Station Road became a mass of fighting men lashing out at one another, from Drovers Yard Police Station reinforcements were on their way. In the park Mosley was still engaging with his followers, saying how great it was to be back in Hobbs End and what a superb job the local branch was doing, at this point a surprise attack by a group of Communists made him stop mid sentence.

Station Road soon resembled a battlefield, protesters and police knocked to the ground in a vicious fight, in Hobbs Park the Communists were soon confronted by a pack of Blackshirts and were hopelessly outnumbered, it was a brave but foolhardy act on their behalf.

 Unsurprisingly the Communists were soon beaten out of the park, from the Station Road entrance several of the protestors had broken through the police line and attacked the Blackshirts one of whom was wounded with a knife. Police reinforcements from Drovers Yard and the High Street stopped the riot soon after and multiple arrests were made.

The cells at Drovers Yard will be full to bursting tonight, the hospitals will be incredibly busy too, in all 18 Communists were arrested, 6 remain in hospital, 1 Fascist is still in hospital, 6 policemen are in hospital and a police horse has a serious razor cut, but will pull through. With the end of hostilities Mosley carried on his address to his followers declaring how much he liked Hobbs End, never a dull moment apparently!

The Hobbs End Skeleton Army Take To The Streets! - A Tabletop Game In 28mm.

                  

                                     SATURDAY 3rd FEBRUARY 1894

                              The Skeleton Army In Hobbs End by Jeremiah Smike

The Salvation Army's much publicised march through Hobbs End went better than expected with little disruption to local traffic and many people turning out to watch the parade. Some of the rougher elements should take heed of their slogan Soup, Soap and Salvation!

Speaking of the rougher elements, Hobbs End has not been spared the rise of the Skeleton Army. This group has sprung up in many places recently, I myself saw them in Whitechapel last year, I'd hoped Hobbs End would be spared.

Our local branch seems to be led by Zak Crouch, a man known to the police of this district for being a troublemaker. The Skeleton Army were seen in Station Road just as the Salvation Army had ended their parade and were heading into the Underground Station.

The Skeletons hoisted their banner and led by Crouch, marched in a way that was a complete contrast to the Salvation Army, they shouted obscenities, parodied the slogan of the Salvation Army declaring "Beef, Beer and Bacca" and behaved in a threatening way to passers by whilst being flanked by three mounted policemen.

When the Skeletons reached the High Street many of the ne'er do wells that hang drunkenly around The Britannia public house joined in with the shouting, a terrible display as there were several ladies and children present.

While the procession was passing King & Worthy's shop Mr King ran out to remonstrate with the Skeletons, Couch rounded on him and quick as lightning Mr King punched Crouch on the nose, the effect of which was to knock Crouch to the ground and he had to be helped up on unsteady legs.

The police came between Mr King and the rest of the Skeletons who were rather angry at this turn of events, Mr King had to be escorted back to his shop as he declared that he would "knock their b----y blocks off".

The procession carried on for a little while but the wind had been knocked out of it, maybe this will be the first and last we see of the Skeleton Army in Hobbs End.