On this day in Wembury — 10 February 1827

Two men, Robert Foster and George Roach, were brought before Edmund Lockyer, Esq., one of the County Magistrates, on charges of smuggling spirits in the parish of Wembury. The accusation was laid by the Collector of Customs, alleging that the men had been engaged in the conveyance of contraband liquor on the night of 27 January.

Both men were convicted. Foster was sentenced to imprisonment, while Roach, being “fit for the sea service,” was expected to be sent aboard one of His Majesty’s ships.

This was a time when Wembury’s rugged coastline and hidden coves provided tempting opportunities for smuggling, with small craft landing barrels of spirits under cover of darkness along the Yealm and beyond. Such prosecutions reflected the Crown’s ongoing effort to suppress the centuries-old trade that flourished between Devon’s fishing communities and continental suppliers.

Source: North Devon Journal, 16 February 1827 (reporting proceedings of 10 February 1827).