the carter brother's the "robin hoods" of the day
1. Introduction
The Carter Brothers: Cornish Smugglers and Local Heroes
Thanks to the generous assistance of the National Maritime Museum, the curator of Kresen Kernow (home to the Cornish History Archives), and Cornwall Council’s Historic Environment Planning Department, we can uncover a remarkable chapter of Cornish maritime history.
In the 1700s, John and Harry Carter were officially regarded by the authorities as men operating outside the law. Yet to the local Cornish population, starving and struggling in harsh conditions, the brothers were seen as Robin Hood figures of the Cornish coast. The Royal Navy referred to them as “brothers in arms,” while His Majesty’s Customs and Excise Officers described them as “upright men.” Most remarkably, the Carters were credited with saving the lives of seventeen sailors.
This was a time of extreme hardship: even a single pot of tea for a family would have cost the equivalent of £300 today. Against this backdrop of poverty and scarcity, the Carters’ actions carried profound significance.
This is just the beginning of a fascinating story—one that explores the lives of the Carter family as smugglers, the complex moral landscape of the time, and the courage of the Customs and Excise men who patrolled the perilous Cornish coastline.
John Carter: “The King of Prussia”
As a child, John Carter earned the nickname “the King of Prussia” because he always insisted on being the “king” during games with his brothers. The nickname was inspired by the real King of Prussia, a prominent German military commander admired during Carter’s lifetime.
According to the National Maritime Museum, Prussia Cove was later named after John Carter. The museum’s Maritime Views website perfectly documents his connection to the area and shows how his childhood nickname became permanently linked to the cove.
WHAT DID HISTORY SAY ABOUT THEIR CHARACTER IN WRITTEN WORDS?
The Carter Brothers: Potential and Reputation
Folliott-Stokes wrote in 1928 that if circumstances had been different, and if the Carter boys’ parents had been wealthy, 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,” reflecting the Carters’ reputation for scrupulous fair dealing and quick-wittedness.
Source: ‘The Cornish Coast and Moors’, A.G. Folliott-Stokes, Stanley Paul, GB, 1928
John Carter was described as “the Prince of smugglers, daring and imaginative, a man of his word.”
Source: ‘Coasts of Cornwall’, S.H. Burton, 1955
SO HOW DID THESE BROTHERS HELP THE LOCAL STARVING POPULATION BY SMUGGLING. ?
Cornwall’s Fishing Industry and the Rise of Smuggling
In 19th century Cornwall, the county relied heavily on two main industries: mining and fishing. The original Cornwall Coat of Arms even depicted a fisherman and a miner, a symbol still recognised today.
A key part of Cornwall’s fishing trade was the pilchard, or large sardine, which was mostly exported to the Mediterranean. Preserving these fish required large quantities of high-quality salt, imported from the coasts of Brittany and Spain.
In the late 18th century, Cornish fishermen faced a crisis. Massive tax increases to fund the war with France made basic goods unaffordable: tea was taxed at 110%, and duties on brandy and gin were 250%. Salt, essential for preserving pilchards, became 40 times more expensive than untaxed salt, pushing already impoverished families toward starvation.
The Carter brothers, along with other local smugglers, recognised a solution. By bringing in salt and other goods from France and distributing them locally without taxes, they helped the community survive. Their actions were so widely supported that local courts rarely, if ever, convicted them.
Source 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.
The Carter Brothers in the Royal Navy
According to the archives at Kresen Kernow, both John and Harry Carter served in the Royal Navy aboard HMS Norfolk. This was an 80-gun ship of the line, with guns arranged across three decks, launched in 1740. Their naval service gave the brothers experience and skills that would later influence their daring exploits along the Cornish coast.
HMS Norfolk Service Records
The photo above shows record numbers 4 & 5, listing John and Harry Carter on the ship’s manifest of HMS Norfolk. This record is preserved on microfiche at Kresen Kernow, providing official documentation of the brothers’ naval service.
JOHN & HARRY “REVERED BY THE ADMIRALTY”
Harry Carter and Letters of Marque
In 1777, Harry Carter was granted Letters of Marque by the British Admiralty. These official documents authorized him to operate as a privateer, allowing him to capture enemy French ships legally during wartime. The letters effectively made Harry a state-sanctioned privateer, giving him the legal backing to attack and seize enemy vessels while sharing the profits with the Crown.
Harry captained his family-owned cutter, the Swallow, under these letters, combining his knowledge of the seas with his smuggling skills. Later, in 1780, he obtained additional letters of marque for the Phoenix, continuing his ventures at sea under Admiralty authority.
Letters of Marque were a vital tool in the 18th century, blurring the line between naval service and private enterprise, and demonstrating Harry’s trusted position with the British authorities despite his reputation as a smuggler.
Harry Carter: Privateer and Prisoner of War
By 1777, at the age of 28, Harry Carter had been granted Letters of Marque, official commissions from the Admiralty allowing him to act as a privateer—essentially authorizing him to capture enemy ships on behalf of Britain during the war with France. Sailing as Master of the family-owned 200-ton cutter, the Swallow, Harry carried out these duties with skill and daring.
In December 1777, he officially received the Letters of Marque for the Swallow, but by January 1778, he was arrested in St Malo, beginning the first of three spells in French imprisonment. Later, in May 1780, he obtained Letters of Marque for the 50-ton cutter Phoenix, engaging in trade and smuggling before being captured by the armed ship Three Brothersoff the Gower Peninsula in Wales. Following twelve weeks in prison, Harry was curiously released thanks to intervention from influential friends via the Lords of the Admiralty.
However, his luck ran out on a fateful voyage off the French coast. During the journey, his cutter lost its bowsprit and had to put into St Malo for repairs, unaware that France, now allied with the revolting American colonies, was at war with England. Carter sailed his heavily armed cutter into a trap, and he, his brother John, and the crew were made prisoners. Their ship and cargo became a French prize of war.
John Carter, nicknamed the “King of Prussia,” attempted to negotiate their release, but his efforts failed. The brothers endured a hard and tedious captivity, using their time resourcefully: they learned French, and Harry studied navigation, skills that would serve him well in the years to come.
After two years in captivity, freedom finally came through a prisoner exchange, allowing the Carter brothers to return to England and continue their adventurous and remarkable lives on the Cornish coast
See below in his own words, taken from his autobiography, his capture by the french.
Sources: National Maritime Museum, Falmouth; Autobiography of a Cornish Smuggler, Harry Carter.
SO HOW DID THESE BROTHERS HELP THE LOCAL STARVING POPULATION BY SMUGGLING ?
Cornwall’s Fishing Industry and the Rise of Smuggling
In the 19th century, Cornwall relied on two main industries: mining and fishing. The original Cornwall Coat of Arms even featured a miner and a fisherman, and Cornwall Council continued to use this emblem until recently.
A key part of Cornwall’s fishing economy focused on pilchards (large sardines), most of which were exported to the Mediterranean. Preserving these fish required thousands of tons of high-quality salt, imported from the coasts of Brittany and Spain.
In the late 18th century, the pilchard industry faced crisis. A series of massive tax rises—tea taxed at 110% and brandy and gin at 250%—pushed ordinary people to the brink. The cost of salt alone rose 40 times above its untaxed price, leaving the local population unable to afford it and at risk of starvation.
Smugglers like the Carter brothers realized that it was possible to sail to France in a day or two, acquire the necessary goods, and return to England. They could then distribute them locally at reasonable prices, helping the community survive. For this reason, it was said that no local court in Cornwall would convict these men—their smuggling was seen as a vital service, not a crime.
Sir Tony Robinson : Youtube - Walking Through History S2/E3. Cornwall.
prisoner on a customs ship - then released by the admiralty
Below written again in his own words Harry Carter: Captured by the Revenue
recounts how he was detained as a prisoner on a Revenue Cutter for twelve weeks after being caught smuggling near The Mumbles, Swansea. Remarkably, he was later cleared of all charges, thanks to the intervention of his friends at home who appealed to 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
Harry Carter: Smuggler, Sailor, and Reluctant Hero
Along the Cornish coast in the late eighteenth century, the line between outlaw and hero was often blurred. Few men embodied this more than Harry Carter of Pengersick.
Though known as a smuggler, Harry was also a seasoned sailor and trusted privateer. So trusted, in fact, that in January 1782 the Collector of the Port at St Ives turned to him for help. A large French vessel was causing concern offshore, and the authorities needed someone who knew these waters—and the dangers of them—better than anyone.
Harry did not refuse. As he later wrote, he feared offending the Collector and sailed to St Ives with his ship to confront the threat. What followed was a fierce encounter. One of the Carter family vessels was lost, sunk in the action. Yet in the midst of that loss, Harry and his crew saved the lives of seventeen sailors.
It was a moment that captured the contradiction at the heart of Harry Carter’s life. Officially, he was a man who lived outside the law. In reality, he was repeatedly called upon by that same system when courage, seamanship, and resolve were required.
This was Cornwall in an age of hardship and war—a place where survival mattered more than rigid morality, and where men like Harry Carter were judged not by the letter of the law, but by their actions when it truly counted.
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 Carter Brothers and the World They Ruled by Night
The Carter brothers have been described by the BBC as “among the most famous of all the Cornish smugglers”, and by The Guardian as “Cornwall’s most famous free traders.” Their story was even echoed in popular culture, with smuggling scenes in the 1975 Poldark filmed at Prussia Cove itself.
Legend has it that the cove—formerly known as Portleigh—took its name from John Carter, the second eldest brother. As a boy in the 1740s, John idolised the King of Prussia, a powerful European figure of the age. He copied his style, marched his brothers into mock battles around the cove, and earned the nickname “The King of Prussia,” a name that would cling to the landscape long after his childhood games ended.
As an adult, John Carter appears to have been the quiet organiser—the managing mind behind the operation—keeping a deliberately low profile with officialdom. While legends about him abound, there are surprisingly few contemporary documents that name John directly as the “King” of Prussia Cove. Instead, official correspondence occasionally applies the title to his younger brothers, Henry (Harry) and Charles, likely reflecting the authorities’ uncertainty about who was who. What is beyond doubt, however, is this: the Carter brothers were a force to be reckoned with.
This website deals not in ghosts, pixies, or invented folklore. What you are reading here is documented history, supported by old maps, paintings, photographs, and books written at the time.
To understand their story, imagine Cornwall in the 1700s. There was no street lighting—only candles, torches, and oil lamps. When darkness fell, this coast belonged to those who knew it best. Places like Pengersick, whose name comes from the Cornish “penn kersyek” meaning “head of the marsh”, became natural havens. The land here was wet, reed-filled, and boggy, lying halfway between the Customs offices of Penzance and Helston—right at the edge of each officer’s patrol area.
The main turnpike road from Penzance stopped at Marazion. Beyond that lay rough cart tracks and bridle paths. Revenue officers—known as Riders—had to cross the vast Marazion reed marsh, the largest reed bed in Cornwall. In darkness, unfamiliar ground, and bad weather, the smugglers quite literally owned the night.
Contemporary accounts confirm just how remote this area was. In the mid-18th century, West Cornwall had almost no roads. The mother of Sir Humphry Davy recalled that there was only one cart in Penzance, with packhorses used everywhere else. Official town records even show resistance to extending the turnpike beyond Marazion, keeping places like Pengersick isolated and hard to reach.
Harry Carter’s autobiography, expanded with notes by John B. Cornish in 1900, describes Pengersick as a tiny hamlet of four or five cottages. Smugglers Barn was one of just three dwellings, alongside a meeting house and surrounding land. Nearby places mentioned in the autobiography—Rudgeon, Trevean, Caerlean, Kenneggey, and Rinsey—were no larger, each just a small cluster of cottages scattered across the landscape.
This was not a romantic wilderness. It was a hard, poor, half-civilised world. And in that world, the Carter brothers did not merely survive—they shaped the coastline, the coves, and the stories that still echo here today.
What happened to the average Smuggler if he were caught ?
Smuggling and the Death Penalty
By 1784, the British government had reached the limit of its tolerance. An Act of Parliament, shown here, made the consequences of smuggling brutally clear.
Under this law, anyone found harbouring a smuggler faced seven years’ transportation, usually to penal colonies overseas. For smugglers themselves, the punishment was even harsher. If a smuggler failed to surrender when required, the penalty was death.
These laws, recorded here on the right, by His Majesty’s Stationery Office (see page 767), show just how seriously the authorities viewed smuggling—and how dangerous the Carter brothers’ world had become. What had once been a way for coastal communities to survive was now officially treated as a capital crime.
This stark legislation helps explain why the lives of men like the Carters were lived in constant tension, courage, and risk—and why their survival and reputation were all the more remarkable.
The timeline
Putting the Carters in Time
To understand just how early the Carter story begins, it helps to place it alongside better-known figures of the age. Dick Turpin was hanged in April 1739. At that moment, John Carter was just one year old, already living here in Pengersick.
As John grew, alongside his brothers Harry and Charles, the Carter family would go on to become the most notorious smugglers in Cornwall’s history—and remarkably, they would outlive almost every major smuggling gang in Britain.
Elsewhere, smuggling dynasties rose and fell quickly. The infamous Hawkhurst Gang of Kent, founded in 1735, collapsed within little more than a decade. Its leaders, Arthur Grey and Thomas Kingsmill, were executed in 1748 and 1749.
By contrast, the Carters endured. Through wars, changing laws, and increasingly brutal punishments, they survived where others did not—cementing their place as a uniquely long-lived and formidable force along the Cornish coast.
The Story Continues
This concludes the story of the Carter Brothers
To discover more about their birthplace, its history, and its unique place within the ancient hamlet of Pengersick, please click here to continue the journey.
It is worth noting that Pengersick appears on almost every English map produced since the late 16th century, including maps created on the European continent. This long and consistent appearance in historic cartography underlines the importance of the hamlet—and helps explain why this small place became the setting for such an extraordinary story.