Thanks to Foxearth & District History Society for this
April 23rd 1768
Last Sunday was brought to the custom house at Woodbridge-80 half ankers of Geneva which was taken by the Bawdsey ferry officials out of a ditch near Waldringfield.
April 23rd 1768
Last Sunday was brought to the custom house at Woodbridge-80 half ankers of Geneva which was taken by the Bawdsey ferry officials out of a ditch near Waldringfield.
The River Deben that laps at the doorstep of Woodbridge was well-used by the smuggling fraternity, though not always with complete success: at Woodbridge Haven in 1739 a smuggler’s cutter was stranded by the tide and the preventive services were able to seize brandy and tea. With extraordinary cheek, the smugglers not only raised affidavits for the recovery of their goods, but also contrived to have the master of the grounded cutter that they were using to ferry in the goods press-ganged into serving on HMS Boyne. This of course prevented him testifying against the smugglers.Today Woodbridge’s most notable feature… Read more »