In today's Lymington, the town is a genteel, law-abiding place, but several decades ago, the area was a hotbed of criminal activity that shortchanged the government.
The south coast of Hampshire was the centre for smuggling on an almost industrial scale, due to the creeks, inlets, and estuaries along its coastline.
Lymington's notoriety in this illegal trade comes from its close association with Thomas Johnstone, a legendary figure in smuggling.
Johnstone is considered something of a folk hero. He was the son of a longtime smuggler, and by the age of 15, he was a highly skilled seaman.
His descriptions are probably sentimental, but he was described as over 6ft tall, with a handsome, clear-cut face, a dark curly hairstyle, vivid blue eyes, and a character that led “women, children, dogs, and horses to adore him.”
In 1724 the town and smuggling were so inextricably linked the author, journalist and pamphleteer Daniel Defoe wrote of Lymington: “I do not find they have any foreign commerce, except it be what we call smuggling and rouging; which I may say, is the reigning commerce of all this part of the English coast, from the mouth of the Thames to the Land’s End in Cornwall.’’
The government heavily taxed Chinese Hyson or Lucky Dragon tea around this time, so smugglers began secretly bringing in large quantities.
Tea sold over the counter cost up to seven shillings (35p) a pound, equivalent to a week's wages for an ordinary worker. Smugglers charged customers just two shillings (10p) a pound.
At one point it was estimated two-thirds of all the tea drunk in Britain came into the country under the cover of darkness and found its way to the houses of the most respectable pillars of society.
For example, one vicar wrote in his diary in 1777: “The smuggler brought me this night about 11 o’clock a bag of Hyson tea, six pounds in weight.
“He frightened us a little by whistling under the parlour window just as we were going to bed.’’ Local smugglers, often called “Hampshire Fencibles’’, were well known in the New Forest and were often cheered on their way by local villagers as they made their way through quiet back roads with their loads of contraband.
He fought against the French in the Napoleonic Wars as a privateer and even operated as a British double agent, leading teams of divers to plant explosives on enemy shipping and fortifications.
Whole villages were often in on the act, with everyone from the local squire down to labourers and fishermen taking part in the illegal trade.
Smuggling was generally supported and tolerated by local inhabitants as it often provided the only, much-needed and well-paid work, so people could be relied on to turn a blind eye whenever they passed by.
If caught by the “Tide Waiters’’, another name for the preventive officers, smugglers could expect harsh justice, especially if they were also wanted for any violent acts, which had taken place during earlier confrontations with the Government men.
One particularly infamous group of smugglers, the Hawkhurst Gang, which it was said could mobilise 600 men in 30 minutes, were high on the Government’s wanted list.
Another one of the more ruthless gangs even turned to burglary and murder, dumping more than 30 bodies down a well on the outskirts of Lymington.
After many months on the run, seven Hawkhurst smugglers were caught, tried and hanged, before the gang was finally smashed.
The leader and four other members were arrested, convicted and executed before their corpses were hung in chains in their respective home villages.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here