In 1821, Cephas Quested, the leader of a notorious Ashford smuggling gang, was sentenced to death. He had been captured at the Battle of Brookland and accused of the murder of Preventative Officer Mr. James McKenzie. Quested had been part of the prolific Aldington Gang or ‘the blues’ that had been in operation from around 1820. Smuggled items from the Continent included silks, brandy, tea and tobacco in exchange for wool, money, cannon, iron, wheat and other sought after items gathered in Kent, Sussex or further afield.

The Battle of Brookland was a landmark of smuggling history in Kent. Not only did it show the courage of men on both sides of the law, it also showed the amount of men involved, the planned procedures of landing the cargo, and the ferocious battle that ensued. The Old Bailey trial of Cephas Quested and Joseph Wraight is a dramatic and intense read as the prosecution witnesses describe the intense gun battles, pursuit of the smugglers over marshland, and of course the unfortunate shooting of Preventative Officer Mr. James McKenzie.[1]

Cephas Quested and his gang had been placed under increasing pressure from the efficiency of the officers and their watchful eye. In 1817, the government had set up a new Coastal Blockade determined to prevent rather than detect the illegal trade.[2] By the time of The Battle of Brookland, preventative officers knew the signals of the smugglers and were ready to sound the alarm. The smuggling of 1000 gallons of foreign Geneva and 1000 gallons of foreign Brandy by 200 and more people on the fateful night of 11^th February 1821, was easily detected and acted upon by the Coastal Blockade. A customs officer during the Old Bailey trial on 11^th April 1821 stated:

‘In the night between Saturday and Sunday, about half-past two o’clock in the morning, the 11^th of February, … observed a flash of a pistol to the westward – I ran in that direction, … and ordered a man … to send the watch …’ [3]

The Battle ended with five people dead and many injured. Quested was captured due to his mistake in not being able to tell friend from foe in all the chaos. He was placed on trial with Joseph Wraight who used his mother as a witness to declare that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wraight was declared not guilty, but unfortunately Cephas was not so lucky. At the age of just 33, he was hanged at Newgate Prison on the 4^th of July 1821. According to Commander Shore, he was a strong and great man who liked his drink, did not attend church regularly and was uneducated.[4] Sir Edward Knatchbull made provision for his body to be brought back to Aldington for burial by his widow.[5]

To replace Quested as the leader of the Aldington gang was George Ransley. After the turning point of the Battle of Brookland, Ransley and his gang were forced to use their ingenuity and seek ways to land and store cargo away from the preventative officers’ glare. Their activities were resumed with extra tenacity in 1826, five years after the hanging of their former leader, when contraband was cunningly being stored in French warehouses and dispersed to Kent in small amounts. Once on the Kent shores, it was carried inland protected by armed gangs and stored in barns and churches on its way mainly to London.

George Ransley is described by Igglesden as ‘a giant of a man, well over six feet tall’[6], however such a formidable man who controlled a vast network of smuggling activities and contacts was bound to be revered and perceived as an invincible giant by people who may not have had the pleasure of meeting him. His house in Aldington, the ‘Bourne Tap’ was probably used to sell smuggled liquor to locals or stored to be used in the local pub ‘The Walnut Tree’.

Over his time as the leader of the Aldington gang he and his men had set up relationships with landowners, clergy, solicitors and doctors to help them pursue the illegal trade and provide a security measure from the inquisitive preventative officers. Ashford solicitors Langham & Platt were Ransley’s legal protection in court, the clergy and landowners provided the storage facilities for the contraband and Ransley’s own doctor R. Papworth Hougham was used to cover up any smuggling related injuries.

However, the heyday of the Aldington gang was once again jeopardised by the capture of George Ransley and numerous members in 1826. Nineteen members of the smuggling gang were arrestedsoon after the murder of Quartermaster Richard Morgan in Dover in July 1826. After a trial in October of the same year and January 1827, Ransley and his fellow captives were all sentenced to death, but were transported to Australia instead.

‘the capture of Ransley and his men has put a check for the present to the illegal trade of the most formidable band of smugglers that ever appeared on the coast of Kent’.[7]

For centuries the smuggling gangs of Kent had enjoyed the exchange of goods to France for the return prize of luxury commodities such as lace, tobacco, tea, and spirits. Communities of Kent depended upon the smugglers for their luxury goods, as commodities such as tea were so highly taxed that only the wealthy could afford them. However, the wealthy, living in such communities, were used to turning a blind eye and allowing the illegal trade to continue (probably so long as they had a share). Therefore, when smugglers were caught by the preventative officers or dragoons, the local juries would always find the accused smugglers not guilty, and the cycle would continue. This underground world was now and again threatened with exposure as smugglers were caught and sentenced to death, but most practices tended to continue as new leaders and smugglers joined the gangs from disillusioned Napoleonic War soldiers to Doctors and Judges.

Insome ways you could say that smuggling only existed and continued to exist because of demand, and the demand was coming from all sections of society who enjoyed or depended upon this illegal trade to live their lives free of the impositions of Kings, Queens or Governments.

[1] The Times Digital Archive 1785-1985: 17th February 1821, page 3, Issue 11173 Column F & The Old Bailey online, 11th April 1821

[2] Smuggling The Wicked Trade, J. Douch,1980.

[3] & The Old Bailey online, 11th April 1821, & a statement by Mr. Charles James Franklin Newton, Customs Officer.

[4] J. Douch, Op. Cit.

[5] Ibid.

[6] C. Igglesden, Saunter around Kent Vol. XV

[7] The Times op. cit. , Monday 30 October 1826 pg. 3 Issue 13104 Column E.