Smuggling 1700-1900

Question 1

Why did smuggling increase in the periods 1700-1900?

Answer 1

Increased between 1740-1850 compared to Early Modern England because more goods were taxed heavily by the government so there was more of a demand for smuggled goods.
- It is estimated there were at least 20,000 active smugglers in Britain at this time.

Question 2

How did the authorities deal with smuggling?

Answer 2

-Authorities also found it hard to capture smugglers because they worked at night and there were miles of unpoliced coastline as there were not enough customs officers to enforce the law.

Question 3

Hawkhurst gang

Answer 3

-Many operated in violent gangs e.g the Hawkhurst gang (named after the Kent village with that name) which was led by Arthur Gray and Thomas Kingsmill. They controlled smuggling along much of the South Coast between 1735-1749. They famously broke into the King’s Custom House in Poole, in Dorset in 1747 to get back their smuggled tea which the authorities had seized.

Question 4

Additional smuggling info

Answer 4

-In 1780, it was estimated that smuggling exceeded 20% of imports and accounted for half all tea in Britain, creating an obvious loss of revenue. This was because an import duty of 119% was put on tea and so ordinary people had to buy smuggled tea. The import duty on tobacco was even higher e.g 400% of the value of the actual product. Import taxes were cut in the 1840s (see law enforcement) so smuggling decreased.