Smuggling in this country probably dates to the 14th Century when large quantities of wool were exported. By 1320 imported goods e.g.  salt, grain, iron etc., were taxed.  This was to pay for the cost of financing the armies in France during the Hundred Year’s War. Smuggling these goods took place in the South West, including along our coasts.  At this time both the port of Sidmouth and harbours in the Otter Estuary were trading these and many other goods.

The 1684 Quarter Sessions record shows that eight men of Otterton and one of East Budleigh were heavily fined for smuggling tobacco.  From various witnesses statements (including the accused) it appears that during June, 35 bags of tobacco were brought in to Ladram Bay in a Brixham or Teignmouth fishing boat. Three horses of Richard Lee and Richard Dolling, both Otterton farmers, were employed to bring the bags into Otterton to John Rice’s house.  

The haul was split up between other houses – Abraham’s yard in East Budleigh, Richard Warry’s house in Otterton (he was a servant of Richard Duke – Lord of the Manor) and Richard Dolling’s farmhouse.  All consignments were seized by Ralph Merson, gent., His Majesties Surveyor of Customs at Exeter.  In addition to the four already named, others were George Austin, whose farm stood where Dukes Close is today; Robert Gringel, a butcher; Humphrey Dyer, a butcher and Elias, a shipwright, all of Otterton.  Also involved was William Teed, a butcher of East Budleigh.  Collectively they were fined £160. 

The heyday of smuggling was in 18th and 19th century especially during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1793 — 1815 and after into the 1820's & 30's.  Taxable goods that were imported at this time were tobacco, spirits, wine, silk goods, etc.  1806 saw great activity in smuggling.  Small sailing boats eg. sloops, cutters and other vessels were trading with the Channel Islands and with French Ports, even though there was a war on.  Contraband was hidden on board among legitimate goods.  Spirits and wine were shipped in kegs, which were sunk off shore, buoyed, and later an onshore gang would row out and "creep" them.  All contraband was brought ashore and hidden awaiting disposal. 

The gangs ashore were highly organised in evasion of the Customs Officers.  In 1786 John Rolle MP, a close colleague of the Prime Minister, William Pitt, was living at Tidwell House.  He is writing to Pitt that “upwards of 56 horses loaded with brandy and tobacco passed my house yesterday. They (the smugglers) are too powerful for the Revenue Officers to contend with.” By 1800 John Rolle had been created John, Lord Rolle and appears subsequently to have turned a blind eye, from his seat at Bicton House, to smuggling activities. 

Smuggling was carried on in great secrecy.  Many of the smugglers were local people and intermarried.  When not smuggling they were carrying on their lives, in fishing, farming, and as tradesmen and artisans.  And their secrets died with them, so we have little information to go on. 

By the 1840's smuggling was in decline.  The coastguard service had been formed to support the Customs Officers and they succeeded in suppressing activity.  Both Salterton and Otterton had Coastguard Stations.  The latter was leased from the Rolle Estates 1834/5; ½ acre £5 pa.  Prior to this the Customs employed Riding Officers and the Preventive Water Guard with the Royal Navy patrolling in Revenue Cutters at sea and whose success had been limited.

In the 1840's one smuggler did publish his memoirs and left us with much general information. This was John Rattenbury of Beer (1788-1844), or Jack Rattenbury as he later became known.  A Customs Report of 1807 gives us a comprehensive picture of the coast where contraband landings were made: Chislelbury Bay; Brandy Head; Otterton Point etc.  Goods were hauled up the cliffs and hidden in the fields.  One gang leader was Abraham Mutter who distributed goods hidden under turf on his cart .  He was a turf-cutter on the moor that bears his name today.  Occasionally a vessel of about 40 tons, carrying contraband, would come into the Otter River Estuary and land its illicit cargo under the Customs noses.  In 1816 Rattenbury in his sloop Volante, hauled up a raft of 35 kegs of spirit which had been dropped 4 miles off Sidmouth, landed them at Ladram Bay and carried them into a field where they were seized by Customs Officers.

The Chief Officer of Coastguards at Budleigh Salterton in 1835 was Lt. Clay.  With his Chief Boatman they were assaulted on Budleigh Salterton  beach by smugglers but managed to seize 52 tubs of brandy and geneva, and William Rattenbury, John's son, was arrested (see footnote – Mod.).   John was also involved with smuggling French Officers, Prisoners of War, back to France (for £100) in 1808, but was caught doing it. Over 900 escaped in this way during the War.  In 1820 HMS Scourge recovered 80 tubs of spirits off Otterton Ledge which had been dropped by John from his boat "Hannah".  The Scourge caught up with the Hannah off Salterton and drove it onshore by gunfire below High Peak.  Rattenbury got away.  In December 1826 Malachi Partridge and William Loveridge of Beer were caught with a small quantity of contraband spirits and were committed to Devon County gaol.

Otterton must have had temporary hiding places for contraband.  The cavities holding candles or lanterns in some of the old cottages and farmhouses, served as street lamps, but also to guide the movers of contraband.  There is a huge cellar under Church Cottage and another under the old Manor House next to the Church.  There were hiding places in Salem Chapel and its roof space. Both the Minister, Rev. Samuel Leat, of the Chapel (1768 -1807) and the Vicar, Rev. Matthew Munday, of All Saints’,  East Budleigh (1741–1794) sponsored smuggling and became rich leaseholders in Otterton and East Budleigh.  The next vicar, Rev. Ambrose Stapleton (1794-1852), probably also benefitted.  Both the East Budleigh vicars lived at Vicars Mead in Hayes Lane, which has a hidden passageway inside its outside walls almost certainly to have been used for storing contraband.

In the 1820's Rattenbury has been granted the lease of a house in Beer, part of the Rolle Estates by Lord Rolle, and Clinton Estate records also show that he was licensee of the Anchor, Beer  1810 to 1812. By 1827 Rattenbury testifies in Parliament, under Rolle's guidance, to build a new harbour at Beer.  As a reward for his services over the years, Lord Rolle granted him a pension of 1/- a week.

Compiled and researched ©Gerald Millington, 2008

Footnote:  extract from Devon Quarter Sessions Records submitted by Dr R Lendon:

“William Rattenbury & Henry Committed by Sir Digory Forest, knight, William Thomas Hull, and Richard Perring, esqs, and W.B. Coham, clerk, charged with having on the morning of the 2nd day of December inst, at Budleigh Salterton, in the parish of East Budleigh, with force and violence, assaulted, resisted, opposed, molested, hindered, and obstructed William Noble Clay, Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, in the execution of his duty as chief officer, stationed at Budleigh Salterton aforesaid, for the prevention of smuggling. Warrant dated 7th December, 1835.” 

References

"Smuggler, John Rattenbury and his Adventures" by Eileen Hathaway. Shinglepicker Publications 1994

Letters - Rolle to Pitt, National Archives

History of HM Coastguard Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Surveys of Rolle Estates, Devon Records Office and Clinton Devon Estates

Beer Tithe Apportionment 1839 , Devon Records Office

1 OT-G-00005 any