Gin Smuggling and Other Misdemeanours on The Delaval Estate

One of my lockdown tasks has been to edit the list of Delaval papers that another of our team has been data inputting. This task has reminded me of a document that I found within the Delaval collection a little while ago.  The Delaval family owned land in Northumberland from the 11^th century. In 1717 Admiral George Delaval purchased the Seaton estate from another family member Sir John Delaval and he and his heirs began to develop the estate building Seaton Delaval Hall and developing coalmines, copperas works, farmland, glassworks and saltpans. The document was drawn up in 1807 and is entitled “List of Persons Inhabitants of Hartley Suspected of Lodging Vagrants, Making Salt or of Selling Smuggled Spirits” (ref: 2DE/8/6/8).

We learn at the end of the document that a party comprising “Mr. Faulder exciseman, Mr. Ochiltree, Mr. P. Forster, Mr. Townson and Jno. Bryers’ had undertaken a tour of properties on the estate making notes of properties visited and observations about the residents. John Bryers, John Ochiltree and Robert Townson were all agents of the Delaval family and their correspondence reporting on estate matters can be found within the Delaval papers in our custody. Forster may be Paul Forster who was engaged as a viewer at Hartley Colliery. It is further noted that ‘the constable was not at home and Thos. Taylor the miller being one of the Overseers of the Poor was sent for but engaged that he could not go round with us”.

The document lists by name forty four residents – of these it was believed that twenty five residents were either making salt or strongly suspected of doing so. Salt was produced by boiling seawater or brackish water (water that has less salinity than seawater but more than freshwater). The visiting party were therefore looking for evidence of boiling water in pots to produce salt. Interestingly some of the occupants of the properties visited appeared not to be at home – “door locked” was noted on several occasions. Where this was the case the party appeared to look through a window for evidence of wrongdoing. For example, it is noted that in Fold Yard “Jno. Rhode’s wife – door locked saw a pot on the fire through the window & supposed she & the family were in’. Why was the party so concerned about alleged saltmaking? One of the sources of revenue for the estate was the Hartley salt pans. Preparing salt at home was perceived as depriving the estate of an asset – in effect stealing from the estate. In addition, a tax was payable on the production of salt – Salt Tax introduced under the Salt Act of 1702. The tax was prohibitive and led to widespread salt smuggling and it may be that this home salt production was not just for personal use. 

As well as naming the residents visited the document also lists some occupations. Nineteen occupations are recorded – eight pitmen, five widows, one carpenter, one engraver, one paper bag maker, one tailor, one waggonman and a sailor. The entry regarding the latter is interesting.  We learn that “Richardson” is “on board a Ship of War lived here last year as a pitman, but taken hold of by Parish Officers from about Morpeth for having a former wife living …”. Not all residents were obtaining an income via legal means. William Brodie, a tailor, is suspected of having sold smuggled gin as is “Widow Todd”. The notes record Brodie and Todd were informed “that if this practice continued they would certainly be detected and could expect no compassion from the Excise Laws as Government was determined to make examples”. Two further residents James Davidson and Nanny Neilson are suspected of being involved in the smuggling of gin from Bedlington. It is further inferred that Nanny Neilson is the ringleader here – “He is a quiet & tolerable good workman – but she is of a violent & wicked disposition, and the fault not supposed to be his”. 

There are further interesting observations. Two of the forty four residents are noted as having disabilities. Nicholas Watson is blind and Dolly Taylor is lame. Dolly Taylor is described as a “decent person”. However not all residents are viewed so generously. William Grey is noted as keeping “a poor dirty house & children” and Pringle’s widow of keeping “a very dirty family & house”. John Jackson is noted as a good workman but his home is also reported as dirty.