1700-1900: Smuggling | Crime & Punishment | GCSE History Revision

Summary

This video delves into smuggling in Britain between 1700 and 1900. It explains how government-imposed import duties in the 17th century, on goods like tea and cloth, led to an increase in smuggling. By the 18th century, organized smuggler gangs, such as the infamous Hawkhurst Gang, profited from this illegal trade. Despite efforts to crack down, smuggling remained widespread due to public support and unpoliced coastlines. The practice gradually declined when Prime Minister William Pitt reduced import duties, making legal goods more affordable. The video includes links to Quizlet flashcards and practice questions for further learning.

Takeaways

• 🛃 In the 17th century, the British government introduced import duties on various goods, including tea and some cloth, leading to increased smuggling activities.
• 🚢 By the 18th century, more goods were taxed, further fueling the growth of smuggling and the rise of organized smuggler gangs like the Hawkhurst Gang.
• 🏴‍☠️ The Hawkhurst Gang, active from 1735, controlled large parts of the south coast of England and operated on a large scale until their leaders were hanged in the late 1740s.
• 👥 Smuggling was considered a social crime; many people in society did not disapprove of it, as they benefited from cheaper goods.
• 🤝 Local coastal communities often assisted smugglers by unloading boats or hiding goods, and some even saw smugglers as heroes.
• 💼 Members of the upper classes were reluctant to report smugglers, as they too benefited from purchasing smuggled goods at lower prices.
• 🌙 Smuggling was often done at night and along unpoliced coastlines, making it difficult for authorities to catch smugglers.
• 📉 Smuggling began to decline in the 1780s when Prime Minister William Pitt reduced import duties, making the trade less profitable.
• 📉 Further reductions in import duties in the 19th century continued to shrink the price gap between legal and smuggled goods, further reducing smuggling activities.
• 📚 The video offers additional educational resources, such as Quizlet flashcards and practice questions, to help viewers learn more about the topic.

Q & A

What were some of the goods subject to import duties in the 17th and 18th centuries?

Goods such as cloth, tea, and [omitted word] were subject to import duties in the 17th and 18th centuries, which led to an increase in smuggling activity.

Why did smuggling increase during the 18th century?

Smuggling increased because more goods were taxed, and there was greater profit to be made by avoiding import duties. Additionally, many in society did not see smuggling as a serious crime.

Who were the Hawkhurst Gang, and where did they operate?

The Hawkhurst Gang was a well-organized smuggling group that controlled large stretches of England’s south coast. They were based in Hawkhurst, Kent, and operated from 1735 until their leaders were captured in 1748 and 1749.

How did people in local coastal communities help smugglers?

Local coastal communities helped smugglers by unloading boats, hiding smuggled goods, and generally assisting in evading authorities. Many benefited from the cheaper prices of smuggled goods.

Why were the authorities unable to effectively stop smuggling during this period?

The authorities struggled to stop smuggling due to widespread public support for the practice, a lack of effective policing along the coastline, and the fact that many upper-class people benefited from smuggled goods.

What is meant by the term 'social crime' in the context of smuggling?

A 'social crime' refers to an illegal activity that most of society does not disapprove of. In this case, many people saw smuggling as beneficial because it provided cheaper goods, despite its illegality.

How did Prime Minister William Pitt contribute to the decline of smuggling in the 1780s?

William Pitt reduced import duties in the 1780s, which made the price difference between legal and smuggled goods much smaller, reducing the profitability of smuggling.

Why did smuggling become less profitable by the end of the 18th century?

Smuggling became less profitable because import duties were reduced, which decreased the price difference between legally imported and smuggled goods. This reduced the incentive for smuggling.

What happened to the leaders of the Hawkhurst Gang?

The leaders of the Hawkhurst Gang, Arthur Gray and Thomas Kingsmill, were caught and hanged in 1748 and 1749, which led to the end of the gang’s operations.

Why were members of the upper class reluctant to report smugglers?

Members of the upper class were reluctant to report smugglers because they benefited from buying cheaper, smuggled goods and often helped to conceal smuggling activities.

Outlines

00:00

🛃 Rise of Smuggling in the 18th Century

The 18th century saw a rise in smuggling due to import duties on goods like tea and cloth. The Hawkhurst Gang, operating from the south coast of England, exemplified the organized and large-scale nature of smuggling operations. Despite the illegality, smuggling was socially accepted as it provided cheaper goods, and some even viewed it as a government-caused crime due to the introduction of import duties. The authorities struggled to combat smuggling due to its popularity and the difficulty of policing extensive coastlines. However, the reduction of import duties by Prime Minister William Pitt in the 1780s and further reductions in the 19th century decreased the profitability of smuggling, leading to its decline.

Keywords

💡Import duties

Import duties refer to taxes imposed on goods brought into a country from abroad. In the context of the video, the introduction of import duties on various goods like tea and cloth in the 17th and 18th centuries created an opportunity for smuggling, as these duties increased the cost of imported goods, making smuggling a profitable venture.

💡Smuggling

Smuggling is the illegal transportation of goods, typically to avoid taxes or other legal controls. The video highlights how the imposition of import duties led to an increase in smuggling activities, with people seeking to profit from the sale of cheaper, untaxed goods. The Hawkhurst Gang is mentioned as a prime example of an organized smuggling operation.

💡Hawkhurst Gang

The Hawkhurst Gang was a notorious group of smugglers operating in the 18th century, named after the village of Hawkhurst in Kent, England. They controlled large parts of the south coast and were known for their organized and large-scale operations. The video discusses how their leaders, Arthur Gray and Thomas Kingsmill, were eventually hanged, leading to the gang's disbandment.

💡Arthur Gray and Thomas Kingsmill

Arthur Gray and Thomas Kingsmill were the leaders of the Hawkhurst Gang. Their roles were pivotal in organizing and expanding the gang's smuggling operations. The video mentions their eventual capture and execution, which marked the end of the gang's operations, illustrating the authorities' efforts to combat smuggling.

💡Social crime

A social crime is an act that is technically illegal but is not viewed as seriously wrong by a significant portion of society. In the video, smuggling is described as a social crime because many people benefited from the cheaper goods and did not disapprove of the activity. This made it difficult for authorities to crack down on smuggling as it was often tacitly supported by the local community.

💡Unpoliced coastline

An unpoliced coastline refers to stretches of land along the sea that are not monitored or guarded by law enforcement. The video uses this term to describe how smugglers could exploit the vast, unguarded areas of the English coast to unload their goods, highlighting the logistical challenges faced by authorities in combating smuggling.

💡Prime Minister William Pitt

William Pitt was a British Prime Minister who, in the 1780s, reduced import duties. The video explains that this policy change made smuggling less profitable, as the price difference between legal and smuggled goods became smaller. This reduction in duties is presented as a key factor in the decline of smuggling activities.

💡Profit

Profit in the context of the video refers to the financial gain made from smuggling activities. The video emphasizes that the potential for profit is what drove the increase in smuggling. As import duties were reduced and the potential profit from smuggling decreased, the incentive to engage in smuggling diminished.

💡Secluded cove

A secluded cove is a hidden or sheltered coastal inlet. The video describes how smugglers would use such locations to unload their goods discreetly at night. The presence of many secluded coves along the coastline facilitated the smuggling operations by providing ideal spots for clandestine activities.

💡Upper classes

The upper classes, or aristocracy, are mentioned in the video as being complicit in smuggling activities. Despite their social status and influence, many members of the upper classes would purchase smuggled goods at reduced prices and even help conceal the smugglers' activities, further illustrating the social acceptance and complexity of smuggling as a 'social crime'.

💡Flashcards

Flashcards are a study tool often used to aid memorization and learning. The video script mentions that the creator is providing Quizlet flashcards in the description to help viewers learn more about the topic of smuggling between 1700 and 1900. This indicates an additional resource for viewers to engage with the content beyond the video itself.

Highlights

17th-century import duties on goods led to the rise of smuggling.

Luxury products like tea were heavily taxed, creating opportunities for smuggling.

By the 18th century, more goods were taxed, increasing smuggling activity.

The Hawkhurst Gang controlled large stretches of the south coast of England.

The Hawkhurst Gang operated on a large scale and was well-organized.

Leaders of the Hawkhurst Gang, Arthur Gray and Thomas Kingsmill, were hanged in the 1740s.

Smuggling was considered a social crime, not seriously disapproved by society.

Local coastal communities often assisted smugglers by unloading boats or hiding goods.

Some argued that smuggling was a crime created by the government's import duties.

Members of the upper classes often concealed smugglers' activities due to their own benefits.

Smugglers often worked at night and exploited unpoliced coastlines.

The authorities found it difficult to tackle smuggling due to its social acceptance and operational methods.

Smuggling reduced on its own as it became less profitable.

Prime Minister William Pitt reduced import duties in the 1780s.

Further reductions in import duties in the 19th century made smuggling less profitable.

The price difference between legal and smuggled goods decreased, reducing the incentive for smuggling.

The video includes Quizlet flashcards and practice questions for educational purposes.

Transcripts

It's the 18th century. Back in the 17th

century, the government had introduced

import duties on a range of goods (taxes

paid on goods imported into the country).

This included some [Omitted word *see description] and tea, a new

luxury product at the time. This created

opportunity for people to make profit

from smuggling. By the 18th century, more

goods are taxed, including cloth, [Omitted word*] and

[Omitted word*]. Of course, smuggling activity

increases as there is even more profit

to be made. Soon Britain sees a rise in

smuggler gangs, attempting to squeeze as

much profit as possible out of this

opportunity. 1700 - 1900: Smuggling. One

such smuggler gang is the Hawkhurst Gang.

Named after the village of Hawkhurst, in

Kent, they control large stretches of the

south coast of England. The gang operate

on a much larger scale than previous

smugglers and are also far more

organised. The group first begin

operating in 1735, however, their leaders,

Arthur Gray and Thomas Kingsmill,

are court and hanged in 1748 and 1749. Meaning

that by 1749, the operations of the gang

came to an end. The authorities find it

very difficult to tackle smuggling for

many reasons. Smuggling is a social crime:

a crime that may technically be illegal

but most in society do not disapprove of

it. Many people benefit from the cheaper

goods, thus don't see the crime as

serious, to the point where some

smugglers became popular heroes and

local coastal communities would help the

smugglers out. For instance, many locals

made money by helping to unload smuggler

boats, or hiding smuggled goods until

they were sold on. Some people even

argued that smuggling was a crime the

government itself created, by introducing

import duties in the first place. Even

members of the powerful upper classes

are reluctant to report smugglers.

Instead, they help conceal the smugglers'

activities. This is because many members

of the upper classes often buy the cut

price goods sold by smugglers, so heavily

benefit from the crime. Moreover, the

smugglers often work at night, under the

cover of darkness. With miles of

unpoliced coastline, it's easy for

smugglers to find a secluded cove to

unload in. Despite being incredibly hard

to crack down on, smuggling as a crime

reduces on its own, as it becomes

less profitable. In the 1780s, Prime

Minister, William Pitt, reduces import

duties, which are then reduced again in

the 19th century. This means the price

difference between legal and smuggled

goods is much smaller, so smuggling

becomes less profitable.As there is less

money to be made, fewer and fewer cases

of smuggling occur.

1700-1900: Smuggling.

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videos, as well as practice questions. So

if you head on down into the description

of this video you should find a link to

a set of flashcards about smuggling

between 1700 and 1900. I'd be interested

to know in the comments if you find that

useful.