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Smuggling has a very old and colorful history, largely
connected with the sea, as one of the main highways of trade between
countries. During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars 1793~1801 and
1803~1805, when Britain was largely cut off from trade with much of
Europe, smuggling, particularly in French brandies and lace,
became almost an industry,
and the British government was forced to maintain a large fleet of
fast sailing cutters
known as the “Preventive Service”, to attempt to cut off the smugglers
before they could land their valuable cargos.
According to the historian David Thomas in his book “Hen
Longau Sir Gaernarvon” (Old Caernarvonshire ships), the Llyn
Peninsula was very popular with smugglers, this is understandable when
you consider that much of the coastline is remote and has many dozens
of coves and creeks, that were perfect for entering in the dead of
night, dropping off the booty, and be away, and over the horizon, well
before first light.
The list of goods that was smuggled into Llyn is quite
staggering, apart from the obvious, brandy, rum, porter and tobacco.
Tea, wine, snuff, candles, linen, salt and even welsh language bibles
(which were printed in Dublin) were all at one time or another firm
favorites. The stories about the smuggling of salt to Llyn from
Ireland in its self could fill a book, and a lot of this was done by
local men, salt was a quarter of the price in Ireland in 1808 compared
to what it was on Llyn, plus there was 16% duty to be added, which put
the price of this vital commodity out of reach for the majority of
users, such as the herring processors for example.
Tea
In the 17th century tea was expensive, partly because
it was still a relatively rare commodity, but mainly because of the
imposition of duties and taxes on tea and other beverages. For most of
the 18th century the high cost of tea in Britain led to smuggling, and
a thriving black market. By 1834 the reduction in the tax on
 tea
opened the way to free trade, and now much more accessibly priced,
replaced ale and gin as the drink of the masses.
The Ships
The ships that they used differed considerably from the
coastal vessels of the day, they were light with tall masts, sloop or
ketch (for and aft) rigged but carried much more sail, consequently
very fast, so that they could out run the navy cutters, which often
prowled the coast. They could also sail very close to the wind, this
came in handy when taking in and out of narrow bays and estuaries.
Their crew was larger as well, instead of the normal two or three;
they would have ten or more, which were needed to sail these lively
little ships, unload their cargo quickly, and even fight their corner,
if they were intercepted by the law.
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Accounts
of smuggling around Llyn
1587. French
privateer in distress at Porthdinllaen Bay.
1647. Bardsey Island attacked by pirates.
1650. Bardsey Island again attacked.
1716. Customs built a storehouse at Porthdinllaen.
1725. Smuggling riots at Nevin.
1729. First Customs Office appointed to Nevin.
1735. Thomas Williams, a native of Wales, found guilty of piracy at
the Old Bailey and hanged.
In February 1763, a smuggler was unloading rum at Porthdinllaen, when
she was approached by a “Preventive Service” cutter, the smugglers
threatened to sink the cutter with one of her fifteen guns.
On the evening of May 5th 1767 a French ship anchored in Aberdaron
bay, and soon after ten well armed members of her crew came ashore in
a boat, they had ten barrels of brandy, and a chest full of tea to
sell, with an asking price of £10, but the locals found this to
expensive. The ship fired one of her canons, to call the men back on
board, and they left the next day. They later sold the booty in
Aberteifi.
1780. Capt. Timothy Edwards of Nanhoron, who was in command of the
76-gun ship “Cornwall” died.
1785. A large smuggling cutter was temporarily disabled on the rocks
at Porthdinllaen and was seized by the Customs Officer.
1786. Boat seized at Porthdinllaen after being in communication with a
smuggling lugger. Another lugger sailed from there for Bardsey.
1791. In February a smuggling lugger and French Privateer seen off
Porthdinllaen.
1791. Customs boat seized at Porthdinllaen by a smuggling lugger.
In 1809 a Preventive Service cutter, spotted a small 25 ton smack at
anchor at Porth Cadlan, Rhiw, and men could be seen unloading bags off
her onto the beach. When they gave chase, none of them were caught,
but two bags of salt were found hidden in a potato field on top of the
cliffs. The smack had neither name nor registration.
In 1814 there was a heavy tax on salt. Restrictions were stringent and
salt became difficult to procure, two natives of Llangwnadle who
possessed a boat took a trip to Ireland to buy the untaxed salt there.
They brought it back to Lleyn, evading the Customs when selling. In
spite of the success of the venture, the story got round, and
Government officials swooped down, and the two men were imprisoned at
Caernarvon. One of them, William Williams, decided to escape and
tearing his bedclothes into strips, made a temporary rope with which
he descended safely to the ground and ran home to Lleyn. When the
officials tracked him down, his mother hid him in a churn. When they
left, he dressed up as a woman, boarded a ship in Liverpool and
finally reached the U.S.A. where he lived for many years.
In June 1824 a schooner on her way from Guernsey to the river Clyde
called at Hells Mouth and offloaded lace, tea, brandy and gin, she is
said to have been there for a few days. Richard Edwards the squire at
Nanhoron, wrote to the customs complaining, that if their cutter was
at St Tudwals roads instead of Pwllheli, the smugglers would have been
caught. “Having the cutter at Pwllheli is a waste of time” he said,
“She might as well be stationed at Charing Cross!!!”
In 1834 the Tax on almanacs was repealed. It used to be the custom for
sailors that call at Dublin on their voyages to Ireland to buy
almanacs. Some of these were printed in Welsh at a penny each. These
were smuggled into Wales and sold at a profit.
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