Smuggling on the South Coast
Christopher McCooey
We open from 7pm for a 7:30pm start.
All are welcome to join in this evenings meeting
Members £5 - Non-members £7
About the Talk: This talk traces the early history of open smuggling back to the illegal export of England's Golden Fleece - the so-called 'owling' of raw wool to the Continent. The violent heyday of the contraband trade came in the 18th century when heavy taxes on tobacco, tea, brandy and geneva (gin) made the illegal importation of these supposed 'luxuries' highly profitable. The second half of the talk is devoted to the notorious Hawkhurst Gang and dispels many misconceptions - the smugglers were not 'honest thieves' but outlaws who protected their infamous trafficking by resorting to wholesale corruption, terrorism and murder.
About the Speaker: Chris McCooey has earned his living as a full-time freelance non-fiction writer since 1986 and has enjoyed hugely the writer’s life of living by his wits. He’s met wacky people, uncovered weird facts and been to some wonderful places … and written about them all for local, national and international publications.
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