The Capital of Free Trade
During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the twin villages of Cawsand and Kingsand were the headquarters of the West Country's smuggling trade. At its peak, over fifty smuggling vessels operated out of Cawsand Bay, landing an estimated 17,000 kegs of foreign spirits in a single year.
The geography was ideal. Sheltered from the prevailing winds, close to the deep-water anchorage of Plymouth Sound, and within easy striking distance of the Channel Islands and the French coast, Cawsand was perfectly positioned for the trade. The village's narrow streets, connected cellars and network of tunnels made concealment straightforward. Almost the entire community was involved.
The trade was finally suppressed by around 1850, but its traces remain — in the architecture of the village, in the documents held by this group, and in the stories passed down through local families to this day.
The villages were the headquarters of West Country free trade, finally suppressed by 1850.
White's History, Gazetteer and Directory of Devonshire, 1850
Primary Documents
The Rame History Group holds digitised newspaper records and research papers documenting the smuggling trade in this area. These are available to download below.
From the Newspapers
The following accounts are drawn directly from contemporary newspaper reports, preserved in the group's archive. They offer a vivid picture of the cat-and-mouse game between smugglers and the Preventive Service in Cawsand Bay.
On Saturday evening last, about eight o'clock, Mr. Foot, of the preventive waterguard at Cawsand, captured a sprit sail boat called the Five Sisters, belonging to Cawsand, with 98 tubs of foreign brandy and geneva on board, together with three men and a boy. The boat was first discovered by one of the preventive men on the look out from the bill, and conceiving her to be suspicious, he informed Mr. F. of the circumstance, when the latter, accompanied by four men well armed, took one of the pilot boats from the bay and proceeded towards the boat in the offing.
The smugglers did not suspect the persons in the pilot boat of any design on them until they were close to them; but on perceiving who the intended visitants were, they immediately crowded all sail to effect their escape. This they were likely to effect when the preventive men showed their colours and commenced firing musketry at the smugglers. The seventh shot fired cut away the sprit-sail halliards, when the main-sail fell, and the pursuers came alongside and secured the boat with its cargo and crew.
The West Briton — 10 July 1829
Richard Cock was tried by a special jury under the Act for preventing fires from being made during the night on any part of the coast as signal to smuggling vessels. Nicholas Marshall stated that he was sitter of the preventative boat at Cawsand, which belongs to the port of Plymouth. On the evening of the 7th of December last, the witness with some of his people was on shore between Rame Head and Penlee Point. About half-past eight o'clock they saw two fires and proceeded towards them.
When they came within a few yards of the first fire, the person who was attending it ran away and escaped. On going towards the second fire, which was within 20 or 30 yards of the first, they saw the defendant, Richard Cock, with an instrument called a fire-fork, holding up the reed with which the fire was made in order that it might blaze. Cock had little prospect of being acquitted. According to law, the burden of proof that the fire had been lighted for another purpose fell upon him — and at such a time and in so remote a place, it was obvious what he was doing.
The West Briton — 7 April 1815
On Thursday night last the Happy-Go-Lucky lug sail shallop and the Stag cutter, both smuggling vessels belonging to Cawsand, came on the coast from Guernsey and had begun to land their cargoes to the west of Rame Head when the Pylades boat, being out, discovered and rowed towards them. There were two midshipmen and five sailors in the boat. One of the midshipmen boarded the Stag cutter but being discovered by a man on the top-sail-yard, he gave the alarm which roused the smugglers below.
Immediately a man came upon deck with a blunderbuss, upon which he fired a musket at him, the contents of which lodged in his body. The smugglers then fired into the Pylades boat, killed one of them, broke another's arm, and wounded a third in the back. The general cry of the smugglers was: "Kill them all — don't let one go ashore to tell their story." Both smuggling vessels then went off and unloaded the rest of their cargoes to the westward.
The Times
Notable Figure — New Research 2017
Ambrose Bowden
About 1751 to 1822
A resident of Cawsand and Customs officer, Ambrose Bowden served as captain of the Revenue Cutter 'Busy' and is buried at Rame. His story — of a man living on the front line of the battle between the Revenue Service and the smuggling community — has been researched and written by Athel Cornish-Bowden, his great-great-great-great-grandson.
Read his full story →More from this section
Further photographs, documents, galleries and links held in the group's online archive for this topic. Documents open in a new tab.
Photographs and images
Select a picture to open it full size.
Documents
- PDFThe Old Smugglers Tale
- PDFPlymouth and Devonport in times of War and Peace
- PDFSmuggling the other side