Smugglers Flashcards
John W. Tyler
examines the role of illicit trade in fostering the American Revolution: created economic dependence; made smuggling a necessity to sustain local economies; this in turn fostered a culture of resistance as a catalyst to revolution; patriots and profiteers were those advocating for independence & merchants seeking economic gain, intertwined nature of economic interests & ideological motivations in move to independence.
E.P. thompson
recognises rebellion not as anarchy, but assertion of alternate governance.
what are tyler’s two main reasons granted to the smuggler of Massachusetts
increased profits
those who sought to run ashore European manufacturers that had not been imported through great britain
tyler’s main source
Ezekial Price Insurance Records
listed in detail owners of each venture, captain, destination & premium levied on each voyage
highlighted how Boston merchants were more honest to Price than officers of the royal customs house.
why smuggle? (Tyler)
- Profit – means of avoiding monopolies (English East India Company est. 1600)
- Avoid prohibitions: the export of food stuffs during famine
- Bans in war times
- 1540s Spanish in America, Potosí, mine in Bolivia find silver, by 1600 inflation over 100%
abuse of license system (Tyler)
- Ban exports to prevent price increases
- King issues licenses to allow merchants to trade, sold and subdivided
- More licenses, more smuggling.
Customs that incentivised smuggling according to tyler
- Queen Mary, after the loss of Calais in 1558, wine duties were increased 1700%
- Edward I’s conquer of Wales, 1275 national custom on the export of wool.
- ‘Specific Duties’ i.e. 3s per tun of wine.
- Ad Valorem tax – 5% tax on declared goods.
Who does Tyler note as examples of how smuggling was accepted by society
- Tyndall Brothers, Nicholas Thorne, John Smith
- Many of those involved held high political offices (Robert Pole, Mayor of Gloucestershire).
‘trading with the enemy, 1584-1604’
Pauline Croft
Pauline Croft main argument
challenges the traditional narrative of a strict Anglo-Spanish economic embargo during this time of political and religious conflict. Reveals navigation of wartime restrictions for economic gain, undermining official policies on both sides. Reflects broader themes of economic interdependence and the limits of state control over commerce during conflicts.
what does croft write about evidence of the prevalence of illicit trade?
Despite the war, English merchants maintained significant trade with Spain, using ports such as Bayona and Cadiz, collaborating with local officials to circumvent embargoes.
English merchants sold goods openly in Bayona under the protection of local Spanish authorities.
Adaptability of merchants included tactics like reflagging ships as neutral (Scottish or Irish) or using foreign factors to mask English origins.
What does Croft write about economic dependence?
-Croft emphasises the mutual dependence of English or Spanish economies, highlighting how Spanish silver financed English exports of grain, lead, and cloth
-Spain relied on English foodstuffs and munitions for its war efforts.
what examples does croft give for English-spanish collaboration?
- Spanish local officials often turned a blind eye to English traders for economic gain, with one local justice allegedly providing 24-hour warning of any impending arrests.
o “The local justice assured an English cape-merchant that if the king ordered arrests, he would have 24-hour warning” - Some regions, like Galicia, displayed leniency, as seen in the example of Thomas James, an English merchant, who operated under Spanish patronage.
- “Four merchants in Malaga received Englishmen and their goods into their houses in 1585”
what does croft’s article underline?
that profit often overrose wartime loyalties
English guns, prohibited for export, were smuggled into Spanish territories and even to Spain’s adversaries, including the Ottoman Empire.
Croft talks about how merchants cheated the mercantile system - how did they do this?
use of neutral or foreign covers
merchants frequently employed scottish, irish, or flemish aliases to facilitate trade
ships liek “Dog of London” were disguised as Scottish vessels to access Iberian markets
what does croft say about regional variations of trade, what does this tell us more broadly?
-While regions like Andalusia and Galicia were accommodating, major ports like Lisbon and Seville posed greater risks due to tighter royal control.
-The trade patterns reflected regional economic needs and resistance to central government policies.
What does croft say about the impact of religious and political factors?
-Croft explored the tension between Protestant rhetoric and economic pragmatism
-While protestant leaders viewed Spain as the antichrist’s agent, economic realities led many merchants to disregard ideological divides.
‘inside the illicit economy’
Evan T Jones
What does Evan Jones examine in his work?
examines the nature and extent of smuggling in sixteenth-century Bristol, focusing on the interplay between official customs records and private commercial accounts. Uses merchants’ accounts, customs data, and related documents – demonstrates the interconnectedness of legal trade, fraud, and state regulation, reflecting the complexities of early modern commerce.
what methodologies does Evans deploy to detect fraud?
- Three approaches
o Analysing official customs documents
o Comparing them with private records
o Closely examining the merchants’ internal accounts - Examples include comparing ship lading records with customs declarations
o Discrepancies in the quantity of wine imported on the Primrose of Bristol suggest potential fraud but are complicated by expected losses due to “ullage” (leakage).
o “The amount of wine declared in Bristol was almost 15 tuns lower than that landed in Bordeaux”
what does evans focus on key goods highlight?
- Smuggling efforts largely concentrated on high-value commodities: grain, leather, wine.
- Wine & iron imports showed minimal discrepancies, significant fraud was evident in the export of grain and leather.
- John Smyth’s accounts show substantial undeclared exports of grain and leather, with customs declarations covering only a fraction of the cargo.
evan compares and contrasts legal documentation with personal, which personal documentation does he most frequently turn to?
John Smyth’s ledger
What were the economic motivations to smuggle according to Evans?
- High costs of export licenses and customs duties, especially for prohibited goods like leather and grain, incentivised smuggling
- Smyth paid bribed to customs officials to circumvent these fees, reducing costs by as much as 20:1.
- Profits on illicit grain and leather exports were substantially higher than those on legally traded goods, with net margins reaching up to 150% for grain and 84% for leather, compared to modest returns on cloth.
- “Net profits on grain exports were generally between 50 and 150 per cent, while profits on leather could reach as high as 84%”
evans highlights institutional involvement and systemic fraud, who does he use as example?
Nicholas Thorne, he participated and facilitated smuggling, highlighting the systemic nature of the illicit trade
Payments to officials like Tristram Lewkenor, deputy searcher, reveal how bribes were normalised to enable smuggling.
What are the wider implications of Evans’ work?
Smyth’s records implicate at least 31 merchants and 5 customs officials in smuggling activities, suggesting the scale and normalisation of illicit trade within the Bristol merchant community.
The findings underline economic pressures and regulatory failures that shaped trading practices, offering insights into broader patterns of economic and social history during the period.
who talks about elizabethan port books
N.J. Williams
what does williams argue
that Elizabethan port books, while essential for understanding trade in the period, are flawed historical sources due to widespread fraud, corruption, and incomplete records. Williams explores the role of Francis Shaxton, a prominent merchant in King’s Lynn, as a case study for these issues.
what limitations of port books does williams highlight?
“The details of trade given in [port books] must always be read in the light of other available evidence”
Research shows that recorded shipments often underrepresented actual trade volumes.
For example, Shaxton admitted to “entering his ships in the customs house ‘but for half the corne they had in them’”
why did people smuggle in the tudor period?
avoid high tax, demand for forbidden goods, economic hardship, inefficient enforcement, religious/politics, corruption/complicity
who profited from tudor smuggling?
merchants & traders, nobles&officials, religious groups
What is the key debate in historiography around smuggling?
law vs morality
which historians are part of the smuggler debate?
E.P. Thompson - concept of “moral economy”
J.A. Sharpe - broader spectrum of social crime
Steve Hindle - frames smuggling as local resistance to central authority
‘dangerous merchandise’
paul monod
what does monod argue?
asserts that smuggling evolved from a loosely structured, small-scale activity into a large, organised enterprise, driven in part by its association with Jacobitism and changing commercial and social dynamics in 18th century England.
Monod highlights that smuggling was not merely an economic or criminal activity but deeply intertwined with political loyalties, social hierarchies, and commercialisation of rural society. Jacobitism provided a framework that both legitimised and organised smuggling, contributing to its transformation into a highly structured and economically significant enterprise.
‘smuggler nation’
peter andreas
andreas main argument
argued smuggling was not only pivotal in the economic development of colonial America, but also played a critical role in shaping its identity and eventual push for independence
‘the rise of protectionism in England 1686-1786’
ralph Davis
what does Davis argue
argues that the transformation of England’s tariff structure during this period was characterised by increased customs duties and the gradual emergence of protectionist policies, which evolved incidentally alongside fiscal reforms. argues this was a practical response to fiscal needs.
