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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
50 | 1725 | Benjamin Wakeling | Bushwall Bay Essex Frinton Cliffe Essex Bushwall Bay Frinton | Essex | Imported & Run without payment of Duties | These persons were severally prosecuted on Account of these & other frauds for several different parcels of the Goods - Samuel Lamb & John Walker are dead; Thomas Eve, John Copsey became Witnesses; Joseph White, William Copsey, John Sayers, John Crampon, John Thompson, John Clarke absconded & could not be taken - prosecution was stopt against William Eady on Account of his poverty; John Cooper was arrested & sent to Gaol; a verdict was obtained agt Benjamin Wackling & he was sent to Goal - a verdict was obtained against Man Gretham & he was charged in execution thereon in the Fleet prison |
50 | 1725 | John Walker | Bushwall Bay Essex Frinton Cliffe Essex Bushwall Bay Frinton | Essex | Imported & Run without payment of Duties | These persons were severally prosecuted on Account of these & other frauds for several different parcels of the Goods - Samuel Lamb & John Walker are dead; Thomas Eve, John Copsey became Witnesses; Joseph White, William Copsey, John Sayers, John Crampon, John Thompson, John Clarke absconded & could not be taken - prosecution was stopt against William Eady on Account of his poverty; John Cooper was arrested & sent to Gaol; a verdict was obtained agt Benjamin Wackling & he was sent to Goal - a verdict was obtained against Man Gretham & he was charged in execution thereon in the Fleet prison |
50 | 1725 | Thomas Eve | Bushwall Bay Essex Frinton Cliffe Essex Bushwall Bay Frinton | Essex | Imported & Run without payment of Duties | These persons were severally prosecuted on Account of these & other frauds for several different parcels of the Goods - Samuel Lamb & John Walker are dead; Thomas Eve, John Copsey became Witnesses; Joseph White, William Copsey, John Sayers, John Crampon, John Thompson, John Clarke absconded & could not be taken - prosecution was stopt against William Eady on Account of his poverty; John Cooper was arrested & sent to Gaol; a verdict was obtained agt Benjamin Wackling & he was sent to Goal - a verdict was obtained against Man Gretham & he was charged in execution thereon in the Fleet prison |
55 | 1726 | Thomas Bowser | Scarborough | Yorkshire | Imported & Run without payment of Duties | were prosecuted for this fraud & they were all Served with process But the officer who commenced the prosecution Dyed before any thing further could be done. |
55 | 1726 | William Hixon | Scarborough | Yorkshire | Imported & Run without payment of Duties | were prosecuted for this fraud & they were all Served with process But the officer who commenced the prosecution Dyed before any thing further could be done. |
55 | 1726 | William Dale | Scarborough | Yorkshire | Imported & Run without payment of Duties | were prosecuted for this fraud & they were all Served with process But the officer who commenced the prosecution Dyed before any thing further could be done. |
55 | 1726 | Robert Sharpe | Scarborough | Yorkshire | Imported & Run without payment of Duties | were prosecuted for this fraud & they were all Served with process But the officer who commenced the prosecution Dyed before any thing further could be done. |
55 | 1726 | William Clerke | Scarborough | Yorkshire | Imported & Run without payment of Duties | were prosecuted for this fraud & they were all Served with process But the officer who commenced the prosecution Dyed before any thing further could be done. |
56 | 1726 | Robert Clarke | Berwick upon Tweed | Northumberland | Imported & Run without payment of Duties | were prosecuted for this fraud & were Serv'd with process, but the officer who commenced the prosecution would not proceed the Defts being in very mean Circumstances. |
57 | 1726 | William Roughead & Several other persons | at the Carr near Berwick upon Tweed | Northumberland | Imported & run without payment of Duty | were prosecuted for this fraud But one Samuel Stanton who owned the goods Compounded for them So ye prosecution Stopt. |
58 | 1726 | George Davison | Berwick upon Tweed | Northumberland | Imported & run without payment of Duty | were prosecuted for this fraud & process was sent against them. But the officer who commenced the prosecution would not proceed - Defts being in very mean Circumstances. |
59 | 1726 | John Harman Senr | Yarmouth in Norfolk | Hampshire | Imported & run without payment of Duty | were prosecuted for this Fraud & Compounded |
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