Dorset Smugglers

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, wily Dorset seamen risked their freedom to smuggle goods such as brandy, tea and silk from the Continent. This book recounts the history of the smuggling trade in this region, detailing how the principal characters evaded authorities through the many tunnels and hiding places along the coast, how they lived from day-to-day facing the dangers at sea and the dangers on land, and if caught how they were dealt with by the law enforcers. The exploits of some of the most notorious smugglers of the day are recounted, for example 'Old Gulliver' who faked his own death to avoid capture, and the Lady in Red who use to signal to the smugglers when it was safe to come ashore.