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Dark Markets Observatory
Smuggling Prosecutions in England and Wales c. 1722-1732
This is a raw version of the data that was transcribed and compiled from reports ordered by the British House of Commons in 1733. In that year and following debate over the Excise Bill, the House ordered a summary of all prosecutions for smuggling throughout England, Wales, and Scotland for the preceding 10 years.
While the Scottish report has not yet been located, the reports for England and Wales were found
at the National Archive, Kew, England (references T64/146-149).
Corrected data will be provided in early March, 2026
If you think this data might be useful, please feel free to email me with ideas about formatting, visualizations or connections with other sources. If you detect errors, please also let me know. dasmith@wlu.ca
Thanks to Jessica Duncan and Nicholas Morrison for their excellent assistance putting together this database. Jessica used TransKribus to create the transcription and Nicholas proofed the copy.
This research is supported in part by funding from Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Index | Year | Persons | Place | County | Circumstances | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
48 | 1725 | John Chipperton | near Harwich in Essex & at several places near
Baudsey Cliff in
Suffolk | Suffolk | Imported & run without payment of Duty | These persons were severally prosecuted for Running & receiving these (& other) goods in several different Quantitys - John Woollard Edwd Gutteridge & John Rambert became Evidences; Fally Buckle, Thomas Pemberton Samuel Cole John Chipperton Richard Cole William Manning John Branson absconded & could not be taken - Benja Woollard was arrested & gave Bail; Samuel Everett, John Bentley ,Denny Briant were arrested & sent to Gaol - Judgments were obtained against John Johnson & William Beddon for other frauds William Crafton was taken & sent to goal & Judgment was obtained agt him & he was charg'd in Execution thereon. |
48 | 1725 | Samuel Cole | near Harwich in Essex & at several places near
Baudsey Cliff in
Suffolk | Suffolk | Imported & run without payment of Duty | These persons were severally prosecuted for Running & receiving these (& other) goods in several different Quantitys - John Woollard Edwd Gutteridge & John Rambert became Evidences; Fally Buckle, Thomas Pemberton Samuel Cole John Chipperton Richard Cole William Manning John Branson absconded & could not be taken - Benja Woollard was arrested & gave Bail; Samuel Everett, John Bentley ,Denny Briant were arrested & sent to Gaol - Judgments were obtained against John Johnson & William Beddon for other frauds William Crafton was taken & sent to goal & Judgment was obtained agt him & he was charg'd in Execution thereon. |
48 | 1725 | Richard Cole | near Harwich in Essex & at several places near
Baudsey Cliff in
Suffolk | Suffolk | Imported & run without payment of Duty | These persons were severally prosecuted for Running & receiving these (& other) goods in several different Quantitys - John Woollard Edwd Gutteridge & John Rambert became Evidences; Fally Buckle, Thomas Pemberton Samuel Cole John Chipperton Richard Cole William Manning John Branson absconded & could not be taken - Benja Woollard was arrested & gave Bail; Samuel Everett, John Bentley ,Denny Briant were arrested & sent to Gaol - Judgments were obtained against John Johnson & William Beddon for other frauds William Crafton was taken & sent to goal & Judgment was obtained agt him & he was charg'd in Execution thereon. |
48 | 1725 | Fally Buckle | near Harwich in Essex & at several places near
Baudsey Cliff in
Suffolk | Suffolk | Imported & run without payment of Duty | These persons were severally prosecuted for Running & receiving these (& other) goods in several different Quantitys - John Woollard Edwd Gutteridge & John Rambert became Evidences; Fally Buckle, Thomas Pemberton Samuel Cole John Chipperton Richard Cole William Manning John Branson absconded & could not be taken - Benja Woollard was arrested & gave Bail; Samuel Everett, John Bentley ,Denny Briant were arrested & sent to Gaol - Judgments were obtained against John Johnson & William Beddon for other frauds William Crafton was taken & sent to goal & Judgment was obtained agt him & he was charg'd in Execution thereon. |
48 | 1725 | William Manning | near Harwich in Essex & at several places near
Baudsey Cliff in
Suffolk | Suffolk | Imported & run without payment of Duty | These persons were severally prosecuted for Running & receiving these (& other) goods in several different Quantitys - John Woollard Edwd Gutteridge & John Rambert became Evidences; Fally Buckle, Thomas Pemberton Samuel Cole John Chipperton Richard Cole William Manning John Branson absconded & could not be taken - Benja Woollard was arrested & gave Bail; Samuel Everett, John Bentley ,Denny Briant were arrested & sent to Gaol - Judgments were obtained against John Johnson & William Beddon for other frauds William Crafton was taken & sent to goal & Judgment was obtained agt him & he was charg'd in Execution thereon. |
48 | 1725 | Thomas Pemberton | near Harwich in Essex & at several places near
Baudsey Cliff in
Suffolk | Suffolk | Imported & run without payment of Duty | These persons were severally prosecuted for Running & receiving these (& other) goods in several different Quantitys - John Woollard Edwd Gutteridge & John Rambert became Evidences; Fally Buckle, Thomas Pemberton Samuel Cole John Chipperton Richard Cole William Manning John Branson absconded & could not be taken - Benja Woollard was arrested & gave Bail; Samuel Everett, John Bentley ,Denny Briant were arrested & sent to Gaol - Judgments were obtained against John Johnson & William Beddon for other frauds William Crafton was taken & sent to goal & Judgment was obtained agt him & he was charg'd in Execution thereon. |
48 | 1725 | John Johnson | near Harwich in Essex & at several places near
Baudsey Cliff in
Suffolk | Suffolk | Imported & run without payment of Duty | These persons were severally prosecuted for Running & receiving these (& other) goods in several different Quantitys - John Woollard Edwd Gutteridge & John Rambert became Evidences; Fally Buckle, Thomas Pemberton Samuel Cole John Chipperton Richard Cole William Manning John Branson absconded & could not be taken - Benja Woollard was arrested & gave Bail; Samuel Everett, John Bentley ,Denny Briant were arrested & sent to Gaol - Judgments were obtained against John Johnson & William Beddon for other frauds William Crafton was taken & sent to goal & Judgment was obtained agt him & he was charg'd in Execution thereon. |
49 | 1725 | John Coates | Whitto Hole & Barmston Dock near Bridlington | Yorkshire | Imported & run without payment of Duty | These persons were prosecuted for this fraud - Luck for the whole goods & the others for several parts thereof a verdict was obtained against William Luck & he was sent to Gaol - Brown was arrested but the Witness agt him Dyed before the cause could be Try'd - the others could not be taken |
49 | 1725 | Michael Fryer | Whitto Hole & Barmston Dock near Bridlington | Yorkshire | Imported & run without payment of Duty | These persons were prosecuted for this fraud - Luck for the whole goods & the others for several parts thereof a verdict was obtained against William Luck & he was sent to Gaol - Brown was arrested but the Witness agt him Dyed before the cause could be Try'd - the others could not be taken |
49 | 1725 | Robert Doltry | Whitto Hole & Barmston Dock near Bridlington | Yorkshire | Imported & run without payment of Duty | These persons were prosecuted for this fraud - Luck for the whole goods & the others for several parts thereof a verdict was obtained against William Luck & he was sent to Gaol - Brown was arrested but the Witness agt him Dyed before the cause could be Try'd - the others could not be taken |
49 | 1725 | William Dale | Whitto Hole & Barmston Dock near Bridlington | Yorkshire | Imported & run without payment of Duty | These persons were prosecuted for this fraud - Luck for the whole goods & the others for several parts thereof a verdict was obtained against William Luck & he was sent to Gaol - Brown was arrested but the Witness agt him Dyed before the cause could be Try'd - the others could not be taken |
49 | 1725 | Robert Row | Whitto Hole & Barmston Dock near Bridlington | Yorkshire | Imported & run without payment of Duty | These persons were prosecuted for this fraud - Luck for the whole goods & the others for several parts thereof a verdict was obtained against William Luck & he was sent to Gaol - Brown was arrested but the Witness agt him Dyed before the cause could be Try'd - the others could not be taken |
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