Dorset Smugglers' Pubs

Few walkers today enjoying Dorset's stunning coastal path will have an awareness of its dramatic origins as a preventive measure in the fight against serious organised crime. The track was established as the nocturnal patrol route for Customs Riding Officers on the lookout for smugglers. In the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries smuggling became a way of life in England's southern counties. During these politically turbulent times successive governments imposed duties on a vast range of imported luxury items to fund foreign wars. From the moment taxes were imposed they were evaded and so began the delicious deception of smuggling. Drawing on jail records, Custom's reports, contemporary newspaper articles and eye witness accounts, the story of smuggling in Dorset is revealed here through the history of the pubs that served as meeting places, recruitment centres and secret storage facilities.