Foreword

 

What do you think of when someone says the word ' Smugglers' to you!

 

Does it conjure up romantic and adventurous scenes of Sussex men bringing their illicit cargos to land upon the quiet and deserted havens of Sussex!

 

Or perhaps the picture is of swarthy, furtive figures dashing like elusive fairies between the rays of the full moon into the shadowy safety of the trees!

 

However your perception of the men who plied this trade in days gone by there can be no doubt the trade was carried out in Sussex with much gusto by persons from all walks of life and looked upon as a respectable way of earning a living.

The height of the smuggling days were in the 1500 to 1800's but began much earlier in the 1200's, not with the importation of goods into England, but with taking them out.

 

Further to this, the type of goods being smuggled out of England at that time had nothing to do with fine cloth, spirits, or such, but with sheep's wool! You can read the full story in the contraband story link above.

 

Through the years, the nature of smuggling changed and adapted according to the laws at the time and the taxes payable on the goods concerned along with the scarcity of the items. Smuggling, far from being a trade for heinous villains was looked upon by most of the population as being a fair and honest way of making ones way in the world.

 

Even in modern times smuggling has survived and today an illicit trade in spirits, beers, wines, tobacco and even humans operates every day. Although it must be said that when one buys contraband today you only take away an income from the government which in turn removes the benefits of such taxation from the good of the people.

 

The days of smuggling being a respectable trade have long since ceased to be!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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