In this issue Paul Cook takes a look at
SMUGGLING IN DEVON AND CORNWALL

In the early days of its existance in England, smuggling took the form of a legal exportation rather than importation, and was directly concerned with the wool trade, (Englands main industry during medieval times). The export of raw wool was prohibited by the government in an attempt to protect the home weaving industry from its European rivals. While the weavers benefitted from this measure, the wool growers found that they were unable to ask high prices for their crop, owing to lack of competition. Thus they were forced to export illegally in order to make a profit. These original wool smugglers were known as 'Owlers' (because they worked by night), and they operated mainly from Kent and Sussex. Import smuggling, as we know it, grew up when custom dues were first introduced.

The customs system was created by Edward I in 1272 to help finance the wars against France, but no preventive system was established until 1421, and even then it was negligible. Meanwhile, smuggling had been growing into an organised operation with nothing to hinder it, for it was, after all, only a minor problem compared with Englands succession of wars, and no men were available at the time to supress it.

As new duties were levied on tobacco, tea, brandy, rum, silks, muslims, handkercheifs, and even salt they became targets for smugglers. There was more smuggling in Devon and Cornwall than anywhere else in England - it was once estimated that, if all the goods smuggled into Falmouth alone in the course of one year had been taxed, the money collected would have been more than twice the land tax for the whole kingdom-and its character was noticably different.