The rugged coastline of Cornwall has long been associated with smuggling. The high cliffs and secret coves made it difficult and dangerous for the Revenue Service to patrol effectively.

 Armed smugglers’ vessels of 250 tons could transport cargos of contraband worth up to £10,000 a time, when a labouring man’s earnings were no more than £20 a year.

At one stage, half of all the brandy smuggled into England came in along the coast of Cornwall but high rewards came with high risks. Today’s fishing villages and holiday beaches were once the background for conspiracy, bribery, intimidation and murder.

The Cornishmen who organised smuggling were well known and largely condoned by local communities who stood to gain from their activities. 

The nerve centre of smuggling operations was the local pub which served as a meeting place, storage facility, distribution depot and valued customer.

This superbly-illustrated guide features a significant number of authentic pubs from St Ives to Falmouth patronised over two centuries ago by Cornish ‘free traders’. In these wonderful old buildings with their low-beamed ceilings, flagstone floors, inglenook fireplaces and secret hiding places one can sense the desperate days of smuggling’s golden era.

Hardback book. Size 21cm x 14.8cm.  128 pages.