the carter brother's the "robin hoods" of the day
1. Introduction
1. Introduction
1. Introduction
We have been able to dig deep into the past with the help and kind assistance of the National Maritime Museum’s website, the curator of Kresen Kernow (the home of Cornish History Archives), and Cornwall Council’s Historic Environment Planning dept.
In the 1700’s the authorities at that time considered the Carter brothers, John and Harry, to be on the wrong side of the law. In spite of this fact they were regarded by the local Cornish population, who were starving at the time as the Robin Hoods of the Cornish Coast, “Brothers in arms” by the Royal Navy and “upright” men by His Majesty’s Customs and Excise Officers and furthermore, saviours of seventeen sailors. This was at a time when one pot of tea for a family would have cost the equivalent of £300 in today’s money. This is just the start of the fascinating story of the Carter’s a Smuggling family and of the brave Customs and Excise men of the time.
1. Introduction
1. Introduction
John Carter was given the nickname of the ‘King of Prussia’ as a child due to him always wanting to be the ‘king’ whilst playing games with his brothers. The real King of Prussia was a successful German military Commander who was quite fashionable and famous during John’s lifetime. According to the Maritime museum, on it's maritime views website, Prussia Cove was named after John Carter. To see this information please click here National Maritime Museum Website.
WHAT DID HISTORY SAY ABOUT THEIR CHARACTER IN WRITTEN WORDS?
Folliott-Stokes wrote in 1928 that if circumstances had been different and if the Carter boy’s parents had been wealthy, then John would have been sent to Parliament and Harry to the Navy. He concluded: “England would have doubtless gained a subtle diplomatist and a distinguished Admiral.”, such was the Carter’s reputation for scrupulous fair dealing and quick wittedness.
Source – ‘The Cornish Coast and Moors’
Folliott-Stokes, A.G.
Published by Stanley Paul, GB, 1928
“John Carter was the Prince of smugglers, daring and imaginative, a man of his word.”
Source - ‘Coasts of Cornwall’ written by S. H. BURTON, 1955
SO HOW DID THESE BROTHERS HELP THE LOCAL STARVING POPULATION BY SMUGGLING. ?
In the 19th Century Cornwall depended on 2 main industries, Mining and Fishing. The original Cornwall Coat of Arms had a Fisherman and Miner design on it, Cornwall Council also used this coat of arms until recently.
A significant part of Cornwall's fishing industry depended upon catching one type of fish, Pilchards or large sardines and the vast majority of these fish were exported to the Mediterranean. This required thousands of tons of salt to preserve them for the journey. To preserve pilchards, you needed to have high quality salt from the coast’s of Brittany and Spain to preserve them.
In the late 18th Century the Pilchard fisherman faced ruin when a series of massive tax rises hit the population to cover the cost of the war with France. Tax on tea was 110%3, duties on brandy and gin were 250%.
The tax burden on ordinary people was massive, but all that was dwarfed by the following problem. The salt needed to preserve the fish was 40 times the price of the untaxed salt, the poverty stricken population could not afford this and the local population were threatened with starvation.
It only took a day or two of sailing from the Cornish Coast to get to France. The Carter brothers and others realised that these badly needed goods could be readily acquired, then returned to England where it was smuggled in with no taxes and distributed to the local population, for a reasonable price. For this reason it was said that no local court in Cornwall would convict these people (smugglers).
Sir Tony Robinson : Youtube - Walking Through History S2/E3. Cornwall.
JOHN & HARRY CARTER, BROTHERS IN ARMS FOR KING & COUNTRY
The Carter Brothers served on His Majesty's 80 gun ship of the line.
According to Kresen Kernow’s archives shown above right, John & Harry were both in the Royal Navy and served aboard HMS Norfolk.
HMS Norfolk was an 80 Gun Ship of the line, with Guns on 3 decks. (Dated 1740) Similar to above.
The photo above shows record numbers 4 & 5 naming the Carter Brothers on the manifest of HMS Norfolk. This record is held on Microfiche at Kresen Kernow
JOHN & HARRY “REVERED BY THE ADMIRALTY”
By 1777 (Harry aged 28), was given the grant of privateering commissions, (A privateer is basically helping the Royal Navy to rob the French ships (as we were at war with France at that time). Harry was cruising as Master aboard the family-owned 200-ton cutter ‘Swallow’. In December 1777, he received letters of marque (A letter of authority from the Admiralty to capture foreign ships) for the ‘Swallow’, naming him as Master, but in January 1778 he was arrested in St Malo and Harry was to start the first of his three spells in prison. Source National Maritime Museum Falmouth
Obtaining letters of marque for the 50 ton cutter 'Phoenix', in May 1780, Harry went ‘trading and freighting’ before being taken by the 'Three Brothers', armed ship, while smuggling off the Gower Peninsula in Wales. Twelve weeks imprisonment followed before he was curiously released, thanks to the intervention of ‘friends at home through the Lords of the Admiralty’. Source the National Maritime Museum Falmouth
In his own words and spelling below Harry Carter explains how he was swapped for 2 French prisoners by order of the Admiralty. (the spelling in the below is taken from the actual spelling by Harry Carter). Source ‘Autobiography of a Cornish Smuggler’, written by Harry Carter.
SO HOW DID THESE BROTHERS HELP THE LOCAL STARVING POPULATION BY SMUGGLING ?
In the 19th Century Cornwall depended on 2 main industries, Mining and Fishing see the original Cornwall Coat of Arms had a Fisherman and Miner on it, Cornwall Council also used this coat of arms until recently.
For example one area depended upon catching one type of fish, Pilchards or large sardines and the vast majority of these fish were exported to the Mediterranean. This required thousands of tons of salt to preserve them for the journey. To preserve pilchards, you needed high quality salt from the coast’s of Brittany and Spain.
In the late 18th Century the Pilchard fisherman faced ruin when a series of massive tax rises hit the population to cover the cost of the war with France. Tax on tea was 110%. 18 duties on brandy and gin 250%.
The tax burden on ordinary people was massive, but all that was dwarfed by the following problem. The salt needed to preserve the fish was 40 times the price of the untaxed salt. Unable to afford the salt due to the high taxes, the local population were threatened with starvation.
It only took a day or two of sailing to get to France. These goods could be readily acquired and then returned to England, smuggled and then distributed to the local population, for a reasonable price. This is the reason why it was said that no local court in Cornwall would convict these people (smugglers).
Sir Tony Robinson : Youtube - Walking Through History S2/E3. Cornwall.
According to Kresen Kernow’s archives shown left, John & Harry were both in the Royal Navy and served aboard HMS Norfolk.
HMS Norfolk was an 80 Gun Ship of the line, with Guns on 3 decks. (Dated 1740) Similar to below.
prisoner on a customs ship - then released by the admiralty
Below written again in his own words Harry was detained as a prisoner on a Revenue Cutter for twelve weeks by HM Revenue & Customs after being caught smuggling by the Mumbles near Swansea. Subsequently he was cleared of this by his friends at home through the Lords of the Admiralty. Source ‘THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CORNISH SMUGGLER (CAPTAIN HARRY CARTER, OF PRUSSIA COVE) 1749-1809’ the National Maritime Museum Falmouth and Germoe Parish Council Website.
HARRY CARTER goes into battle against A FRENCH SHIP AS ORDER
Fighting ships and taking damage to his own, Carter saves 17 sailors rather than displease HM Custo
As shown above the Collector of the Port at St Ives, despatched Harry Carter to go and fight off a large French ship. (Below written in his own words by Harry Carter.) Not only did he do that, but sustained the loss of one of his own ships and at the same time managing to save the lives of 17 sailors. (Source: Germoe Parish Council Website)
If you wish to read the whole of this book the good people of Germoe have published a link to the book. https://archive.org/details/storyofancientpa00coulrich/mode/2up?view=theater
Below is a detailed explanation of a Port Collector.
- Royal Patent Appointment:Collectors were appointed by Royal Patent, signifying their official status and authority.
- Revenue Collection:Their primary duty was to collect customs duties and other taxes on goods entering and leaving the country through their port.
- Supervision:Collectors supervised other customs officials, such as Searchers and Waiters, ensuring the proper execution of their duties.
- Port Administration:They were responsible for the overall administration of customs operations within their designated port.
- Counter-Roll:Controllers or Comptrollers maintained a counter-roll to provide financial oversight and ensure accurate accounting of revenue.
- Prevention of Fraud:Collectors played a crucial role in preventing smuggling and other customs violations, working with other officials to intercept illegal goods and apprehend offenders.
- Evolution:Over time, the role of the Collector evolved, and by the 19th century, HM Customs had Custom Houses in 75 ports in England and Wales, each staffed by a pair of Collector
the carters legacy
The beginnings
The Carters have been described as "among the most famous of all the Cornish smugglers" by the BBC and as "Cornwall's most famous 'free traders'" by The Guardian.
Smuggling similar to that of the Carters was featured in the 1975 Poldark, with scenes being filmed in Prussia Cove. Legend has it that the cove (previously name Portleigh) acquired its colloquial name from the exploits of young John Carter – the second eldest brother. He allegedly became known as the King, when in the 1740s the King of Prussia became his boyhood hero, and he emulated him in his fashion, marching his brothers round the cove into mock battles.
In adulthood John may well have been the managing director of the firm but he kept a pretty low profile in so far as officialdom was concerned. Legends about him abound, but there are no contemporary written references to John as being the ‘King’ of Prussia’s Cove, and only one or two references in the official papers name him. However, two of his younger brothers – Henry (als. Harry) and Charles – were each so called on different occasions in official correspondence, though these attributions may just reflect the reporting officers’ lack of personal knowledge of the individuals concerned. Whatever John Carter’s status and name in the locality, the Carter brothers were a force to be reckoned with.
Source https://www.maritimeviews.co.uk/smuggling/the-carter-brothers-of-prussias-cove/
There are no ghost’s, Pixies or Folklore written on here, conjuring up make believe. This is actual history about the Carter Brothers. Old Maps, Old Photographs, Old Paintings and Books written at the time, support the facts.
Try to imagine in the 1700,s lighting was only by candles, torches and oil lamps. When darkness fell this area would become a haven for smugglers who would "own the night". this place called Pengersick which means "Head of the marsh" or "Top of the marsh" derived from the Cornish words "penn" (meaning "head, end, top") and "kersyek" (meaning "abounding in reeds"). The name reflects the location. The terrain was wet and boggy and lay halfway between the Customs office in Penzance and the Customs office in Helston, this being at the extremity of each of the Customs officers search areas. The road from Penzance was maintained by a Turnpike Trust stopping at the Turnpike Hill at Marazion. The rest of the road through to Helston was a rough cart track and the revenue men (or 'Riders' as they were called) would have to pass by Marazion reed marsh the largest reed bed in Cornwall (Source RSBP.org).
Please see below Harry Carters Autobiography (Second Edition) with added notes written by John B Cornish written in 1900 to give you proof of the facts above. It also says that Pengersick is a hamlet of four or five Cottages. Smugglers barn is one of 3 dwellings including a ‘meeting House’ plus land. But please read on and see the maps and photographs.
The high road from Helston through Marazion to Penzance now passes about a mile from the sea, but at the time of which Harry Carter was writing, this district must have been unknown and almost inaccessible. From all accounts West Cornwall at that time was very little more than half civilised. The mother of Sir Humphrey Davy (born at Penzance, 1778) wrote a record saying that when she was a girl "West Cornwall was without roads, there was only one cart in the town of Penzance, and packhorses were in use in all the country districts" (Bottrell, iii. 150). This is confirmed by a writer in the "Gentleman's Magazine," who says that in 1754 there were no roads in this district, the ways that served the purpose were merely bridle paths "remaining as the deluge left them and dangerous to travel over" ("Gentleman's Magazine," October, 1754); and by the official records of the town of Penzance, which show that in 1760 the Corporation went to some expense in opposing the extension of the turnpike beyond Marazion, to which place it was then first carried from Penryn (Millett's "Penzance, Past and Present").
The places of which the names are mentioned in the autobiography, but which are not shown in the map, such as Rudgeon, Trevean, Caerlean, Pengersick, Kenneggey, and Rinsey, are all in the immediate neighborhood of Prussia Cove. They are merely little hamlets of four or five cottages each, and there is no reason to suppose that they were any larger one hundred years ago. Helston, the market town of the district, is about six miles off, and had then a population of some two thousand people.
What happened to the average Smuggler if he were caught ?
An act of parliament in 1784 shown here on the right, that if you harbour a smuggler its 7 years transportation and if you are a smuggler and you do not hand yourself in then you suffer “death”. (Page 767 below)
(Source His Majesty’s Stationary office.)
The timeline
To give you an idea of the historical timeline, Dick Turpin had been hung in April of the year 1739. John Carter was just 1 year old at that time and was born here and living in Pengersick. Along with his brothers Harry and Charles, John would make the family the most notorious Smugglers in Cornwall's history and would out live nearly all of the Smugglers in the country, such as the Hawkhurst gang in Kent started in 1735 and ran by Arthur Grey (hung in 1748) and Thomas Kingsmill (hung in 1749).
Where were the Carter's born ?
This concludes the description of the Carter Brothers.
Now please click here to find out more about their birthplace, it's history and it's place in the ancient Hamlet of Pengersick. It is important to note that it is on nearly every English map produced since the late 16th Century including continental maps.