The 18th century was known as the golden age of smuggling, with pirates, smugglers, and bootleggers hiding contraband items in underground caves, coves, and tunnels to transport them across borders. But how much do you know about the most commonly smuggled items passing through these hidden and secretive operations?
From popular drinks like tea and brandy to luxury goods and fashion pieces, we’ve created an exciting quiz to test how far your smuggling knowledge has come. But first, we thought we’d give you a quick overview of why smuggling was so popular and the dangers of what could happen if people were caught in the act.
Why did people smuggle items?
Smuggling became a very common practice in 18th Century Britain, but what was the reasoning behind this? The imposition of high taxes on imported goods led to an increase in smuggling, due to the high prices making many in-demand goods far less accessible. As a result, lots of individuals resorted to smuggling these goods across the borders to avoid paying the higher import taxes. The British government had also established strict trading laws that limited the importation of certain items, which only led to more demand for smuggled goods.
Luckily for the smugglers, the coastal areas of Britain provided easy access to secluded coves and bays, making it easier for them to conceal their activities and transport goods in without getting caught.
What were the consequences of being caught smuggling?
So, what was the fate of the unlucky ones caught smuggling items across the borders? HM Customs had divided the coastline into 33 areas, and each had a dedicated team of preventative officers whose job was to prevent smuggling by catching people in the act.
But because the smuggling gangs worked so well and they knew the routes better than anybody, they could easily evade the officers. Nowhere near enough officers could be available to patrol the entire coastline, which meant that smugglers were rarely caught. The few that were caught typically avoided conviction because they would threaten anybody who might testify against them to keep them quiet.
The unlucky members of smuggling gangs who couldn’t wriggle their way out of conviction were usually sentenced to death and executed. While this shows one of the many dark sides of smuggling, it was simply thought of as a deterrent to other smugglers.
Our Top 8 Smuggling Facts
Here are just a few of our favourite smuggling facts and figures:
1. The smuggling trade thrived in 18th-century England due to high taxes on imported goods.
2. Smugglers would use secret coves, caves, and tunnels, like St Clement’s Caves, to transport items like tea, brandy, wine, tobacco, and jewellery that were in high demand.
3. Smugglers were supported by local communities and developed complex networks to move goods efficiently while staying under the radar of customs officers.
4. The government increased the number of customs officers and imposed harsher penalties to combat smuggling.
5. Smugglers became violent, engaging in shootouts and using bribery and intimidation.
6. Smuggling was not limited to England – it was a global trade.
7. Famous smugglers include Isaac Gulliver, the Hawkhurst Gang, of course, Hairy Jack who will lead you around Smugglers Adventure!
8. In 1784 the Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, suggested that less than half of the 5.9 million kilograms of tea consumed in Britain that year had been brought in legally.
Take the quiz!
Now that you’ve had a chance to dig around in the dark, murky and fascinating history of smuggling, it’s time to put your knowledge to the test! Have a go at our quiz to find out just how much information you’ve managed to loot from this blog.
From clothes and fine jewellery to popular drinks, we hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about what was and wasn’t illegally transported into Britain in the golden age of smuggling.
Eager to keep digging into the good, the bad and the ugly history of smuggling? Discover more about Smugglers Adventure and plan your next visit here!