Smuggling Collection

Prussia Cove, St Hilary, Cornwall. 1890s
Bessys Cove, also known as Prussia Cove, showing the house of John Carter prior to its demolition in 1906. John Carter was one of Cornwalls most famous smugglers

Jamaica Inn, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
Jamaica Inn, a Grade II listed building on Bodmin Moor near Bolventor, Cornwall, built as a coaching inn in 1750. Popular with smugglers

Preparations for the Easter (Dublin) Rising of 1916 Mary Spring Rice and Molly Childers on the yacht Asgard bring guns from Germany to the Irish Volunteers, July 1914

Flamborough Head
The North Landing, Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, England; the chalk cliff is riddled with former smuggling caves. Date: 1950s

Smugglers landing their cargo
The sun dispelling a mist, with smugglers landing their cargo

Fire burns part of an estimated 105 tonnes of ivory and a tonne of rhino horn confiscated from smugglers and poachers at the Nairobi National Park near Nairobi, Kenya, April 30, 2016

WW1 - German anti-British propaganda postcard - Caught and Trapped - a duplicitous British Army Officer is captured by the forces of the Central Powers trying to smuggle a machine gun to his men

Jack Rattenbury, smuggler
Jack or John Rattenbury (1778 - 1844), nicknamed the Rob Roy of the West. Born in Beer, Devonshire, Rattenbury was in turn privateer, fisherman, pressed sailor in the Navy, and smuggler

Godrevy Lighthouse DP140994
Godrevy Lighthouse, Godrevy Island, Gwinear-Gwithian, Cornwall

John Brown and Co. sink British Revenue Cutter Gaspee
The Burning of the " Gaspee". HMS Gaspee a British customs schooner ran aground after being boarded by a group of men led by Abraham Whipple and John Brown, who attacked, boarded

Page from The Graphic entitled Our Coastguard
A page from The Graphic entitled Our Coastguard, detailing the work of smugglers and lifeboat crews in 1892. 1892

French Customs officers X-Ray for smuggled goods 1897

Smugglers on the Swedish westcoast, by Josef Wilhelm Wallander (1821-88) Date: 19th century

Customs inspection with X-rays, World War I
An officer examines a bale of cotton with an X-ray machine to try and detect contraband during World War I in March 1915

Smugglers
BAL33433 Smugglers by Wollen, William Barnes (1857-1936); Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK; English, out of copyright

8628513

"For our parson" (litho)
8650628 "For our parson" (litho) by Hardy, Paul (1862-1942); Private Collection; (add.info.: "For our parson." Illustration for The Smugglers by Charles G Harper)

Smugglers hiding goods in a tomb (litho)
8650632 Smugglers hiding goods in a tomb (litho) by Hardy, Paul (1862-1942); Private Collection; (add.info.: Smugglers hiding goods in a tomb)

The Speed-Boat (colour litho)
8659605 The Speed-Boat (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Speed-Boat. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Smugglers)

The Water-Cask (colour litho)
8659587 The Water-Cask (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Water-Cask. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Smugglers)

The Destroyer (colour litho)
8659602 The Destroyer (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Destroyer. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Smugglers)

The Picket Boat (colour litho)
8659600 The Picket Boat (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Picket Boat)

The Death (colour litho)
8659577 The Death (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Death. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Smugglers)

The Spy (colour litho)
8659573 The Spy (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Spy. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Smugglers)

The Ruse, "The Ghostly Drummer of Hurstmonceaux" (colour litho)
8659572 The Ruse, "The Ghostly Drummer of Hurstmonceaux" (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Ruse)

The Refuge (colour litho)
8659571 The Refuge (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Refuge. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Smugglers)

The Haven (colour litho)
8659568 The Haven (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Haven. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Smugglers)

Dragoons dispersing smugglers (litho)
8643763 Dragoons dispersing smugglers (litho) by Hardy, Paul (1862-1942); Private Collection; (add.info.: Dragoons dispersing smugglers)

A landing at Bo-Peep (litho)
8643738 A landing at Bo-Peep (litho) by Hardy, Paul (1862-1942); Private Collection; (add.info.: A landing at Bo-Peep. Illustration for The Smugglers by Charles G Harper (Chapman and Hall)

The chop-backs (litho)
8643735 The chop-backs (litho) by Hardy, Paul (1862-1942); Private Collection; (add.info.: The chop-backs. Illustration for The Smugglers by Charles G Harper (Chapman and Hall)

The Bootleggers (Charcoal and gouache on board)
8766707 The Bootleggers (Charcoal and gouache on board) by Frost, Arthur Burdett (1851-1928); High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; © High Museum of Art .

Economy. Tax: the gabelle (tax on salt in France). Salt smugglers attacked by the king's soldiers
3434731 Economy. Tax: the gabelle (tax on salt in France). Salt smugglers attacked by the king's soldiers. Engraving in: Grands hommes et grands faits de l'industrie, France

Escape of Johnson (litho)
8643746 Escape of Johnson (litho) by Hardy, Paul (1862-1942); Private Collection; (add.info.: Escape of Johnson. Illustration for The Smugglers by Charles G Harper (Chapman and Hall)

"Run the rascal through!" (litho)
8643741 "Run the rascal through!" (litho) by Hardy, Paul (1862-1942); Private Collection; (add.info.: "Run the rascal through)

The "Dog and Partridge," Slindon Common (litho)
8643732 The "Dog and Partridge," Slindon Common (litho) by Harper, Charles George (1863-1943); Private Collection; (add.info.: The "Dog and Partridge," Slindon Common)

Goudhurst Church (litho)
8643729 Goudhurst Church (litho) by Harper, Charles George (1863-1943); Private Collection; (add.info.: Goudhurst Church. Illustration for The Smugglers by Charles G Harper (Chapman and Hall)

A Smuggler of Romance, Dirk Hatteraick in his cavern (colour litho)
8659609 A Smuggler of Romance, Dirk Hatteraick in his cavern (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: A Smuggler of Romance, Dirk Hatteraick in his cavern)

The "Hi-Jacker" (colour litho)
8659603 The "Hi-Jacker" (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The "Hi-Jacker." Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards)

The Stage (colour litho)
8659599 The Stage (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Stage. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Smugglers)

The Search (colour litho)
8659597 The Search (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Search. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Smugglers)

The Prize (colour litho)
8659594 The Prize (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Prize. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Smugglers)

The Revenue Cutter (colour litho)
8659588 The Revenue Cutter (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Revenue Cutter)

HMS "Ramillies" (colour litho)
8659582 HMS "Ramillies" (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: HMS "Ramillies." Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards)

The Martello Tower (colour litho)
8659581 The Martello Tower (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Martello Tower)

The Chasse Maree (colour litho)
8659579 The Chasse Maree (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Chasse Maree)

The Law (colour litho)
8659578 The Law (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Law. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Smugglers)

The Riding Officer (colour litho)
8659570 The Riding Officer (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Riding Officer)

The Signal (colour litho)
8659567 The Signal (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Signal. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Smugglers)

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Unveiling the Secrets of Smuggling: Tales from Prussia Cove to Flamborough Head" Step back in time to the 1890s, where hidden coves and treacherous cliffs along the rugged coast of Cornwall became hotspots for illicit activities. Prussia Cove in St Hilary, Cornwall, was notorious for its smuggling operations that thrived under the cover of darkness. The Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor also played a significant role as a hub for these clandestine activities. As preparations were underway for the Easter Rising of 1916 in Dublin, two daring women named Mary Spring Rice and Molly joined forces with smugglers to transport crucial supplies across treacherous waters. Their bravery knew no bounds as they navigated through perilous seas near Godrevy Lighthouse DP140994. However, not all tales were shrouded in mystery and adventure. A devastating fire once engulfed an estimated 105 tonnes of ivory and a tonne of rhino horn confiscated from illegal trade. This event shed light on the dark underbelly of this criminal enterprise. During World War I, German anti-British propaganda postcards depicted British coastguards struggling to combat smugglers' cunning tactics. These images highlighted how Jack Rattenbury, a renowned smuggler known for his audacity and wit, outsmarted authorities time after time. In another daring incident that shook maritime history, John Brown and Co. , defying authority's grasp sank the British Revenue Cutter Gaspee off Rhode Island's shores during colonial times. The fight against smuggling has always been relentless; even The Graphic dedicated pages entitled "Our Coastguard, " showcasing their tireless efforts to protect coastal borders from contraband goods flowing into our nation's shores. Across borders, French customs officers resorted to X-ray technology to uncover concealed contraband items within luggage or cargo shipments—a constant battle between law enforcement agencies and those seeking to exploit the system.