Smuggling

This title traces the early history of open smuggling back to the illegal export of Britain's golden fleece - the so-called 'owling' of raw wool to the continent.

The violent heyday of the contraband trade came in the 18th century when heavy taxes on luxury items made their illegal importation highly profitable.

The British love for these supposed luxuries of tea, tobacco and spirits is explained in fascinating detail.

The second half of the book is devoted to the notorious Hawkhurst gang who held sway throughout Kent and Sussex and, having bought the contraband in the Channel Islands or the Low Countries, smuggled them ashore along the South Coast.