Female Smugglers of the 19th Century (eBook)
Imprint: Pen & Sword History
File Size: 1.6 MB (.epub)
Pages: 232
ISBN: 9781036115210
Published: 15th October 2025
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Writing Female Smugglers of the Nineteenth Century has proved quite a challenge, but a fascinating one. This was a century when the romantic notion of smuggling – bold runs onto beaches with kegs of alcohol – was diminishing as duties were slowly eroded on such highly desirable goods. But it was a century when more innovative and ingenious ways of smuggling a larger variety of goods came to the fore. Tobacco and alcohol, yes, but also lace, luxury fabrics and garments, jewellery and even looms were being smuggled in, and out of the U.K. This was not the century of the popular “pirate” figures of the eighteenth century with its famous female figureheads. The early part of the nineteenth century saw women involved in helping their husbands and family with unloading and distributing goods, seen as a survival necessity given their limited incomes … latterly, more well-heeled women on superior vessels were smuggling goods for themselves, often thanks to the fashion for bustles!
Of course, as in all areas of history, women are often disregarded and demoted to second-rate roles, so finding out about such women has only been possible thanks to court records, oral history, and newspaper reports. As a result, the subject has not been covered elsewhere in any great detail and this book attempts to resolve that gap. It covers the whole of the U.K. and has chapters on the U.S.A. and Europe and is intended to entertain and amuse as well as, perhaps, to educate.
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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, K. Rafyra
I'm not that much into non-fiction but there are themes that I simply must read due their originality and research and this book is definitely one of those! Reading it made me almost feel like I wasn't reading non-fiction since the text was both interesting and well conveyed.
I wish this kind of book brings more literature and studies about how women are way more badass than most people think!
I'll be totally looking forwards more books from this author!
This book explores the innovative world of 19th-century smuggling, during a time when tariffs were declining and the nature of smuggling was changing. The book focuses on the largely untold stories of women involved in this illicit trade—from those driven by necessity to those seeking personal gain. Looking primarily at the UK, but also the USA and Europe, the book draws on court records and other sources to offer an entertaining and informative look at a hidden chapter of history.
NetGalley, Andrea Romance
Female Smugglers reviews 19th century smuggling from the female perspective and contains delicious anecdotes of female resourcefulness, cunning, and daring. The women were often innovative partners in smuggling operations, although this wasn’t always the case when there was coercion from husbands, fathers, and brothers.
NetGalley, Pippa Elliott
After end of Napoleonic Wars 250,000 soldiers and sailors returned home seeking a way to earn money; smuggling provided a solution and remained rife until 1870. Commodities that were taxed and therefore amenable to smuggling, included salt (until 1825), tobacco, silk, lace, alcohol; and in the early 19th century tea and alcohol were the two most smuggled commodities. (It was said 50% of tea drunk in England was smuggled.)
Women played an integral part, not so much in the sailing and landing (although this book illustrates how some women did just that) but on the landed side or smuggling goods under their crinolines. Indeed, the fashion for hooped crinolines was a gift, with ingenious systems of bladders filled with alcohol, attached beneath the hoops. Societal norms made it unacceptable to physically search women, which made them almost untouchable by the Excisemen. And in case of arrest, some women carried needles with which to puncture the bladders and drain out the incriminating cargo.
The author refers to newspaper reports, local museums, and resources to source interesting stories. For example, a Mrs Coppinger who made a mistake by hiding valuable silks in the oven. She miscalculated as the oven was hot, which caused the silks to melt and were subsequently ruined. I particularly enjoyed discovering the link between the Brontes and smuggling, in the shape of their mother, Maria Branwell, who lived in Penzances opposite the Admiral Benbow tavern. The latter was a base for the Benbow Brandy Men, an infamous smuggling group in the area. It was reputed Thomas Branwell, as a successful merchant, had a partnership with these smugglers.
These female smuggling tales are divided county by county, and then by country including Scotland, Wales, Ireland, USA, Canada, and also Europe. This is a worthwhile and deeply researched book pertinent to anyone with an interest in female social history or smuggling in the 19th century.
The title of this book caught my eye and intrigued me as female smugglers are not something I've seen mentioned or alluded to in historical books, at least not nonfiction. I found this book to be well researched with a number of stories where many females played both primary and secondary roles in the smuggling trade in addition to other interesting facts and stories.
NetGalley, Christina Woudwyk
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Rebecca Stewart
Absolutely loved reading this so much. Loved all the stories of women I would have never heard of otherwise. Some of these people would be out on the smuggling runs, while others were just hiding the illegal goods. My favorite story was about Peggy Potts, who got caught one night with a jug of trafficked liquor. She managed to pour it out and fill it with water when the cop wasn't looking before he took her in, and then he got laughed at by everyone when he took her in for illegal goods, when she only had water on her.
There were so many amazing stories just like that one shared in this book, ones that I would have never heard about. This would actually be good for historical fiction writers who want to include references that haven't been used a million times in the past.
Would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for their next non-fiction book. This actually would be a great book for those fiction readers who have been thinking about reading more non-fiction.
About Dee Gordon
Dee Gordon is an East Ender who has been a Southend resident for nearly thirty years. She started writing in the 1960s, selling many teenage romances (picture stories) to the likes of Romeo, Marilyn, and Mirabelle. However, when she got a “proper” job – in the recruitment industry – she found that the only way to succeed was to focus on the job and let the writing slide. Having had her own successful recruitment business for nearly twenty years meant that, in 2000, she was able to take the opportunity to write pretty much full time – allowing for the demands of her autistic son, that is. Before picking up her pen, the first thing she did was to complete her English Literature degree with the Open University, something that she had wanted to achieve to prove she could write more than training manuals and business plans.
So far, her published work encompasses novel (Meat Market – about recruitment, what else – and My Little Brother, My Little Life, due for publication August 2015), a self-published poetry anthology (Bad Girls which was launched at Southend Library as part of their National Year of Reading programme) and twelve local history books including Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in and around Southend-on-Sea for Pen-and-Sword. See www.deegordon-writer.com for more information on Dee, the talks she gives to raise money for Southend Mencap, and, of course, her books.
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