Some of the people involved in smuggling
Real people
The Customs Men
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Lt.Samuel Hellard, Royal Navy - the officer who led the 100 strong force that
eventually captured Ransley and the senior members of his Gang in 1826.
Richard Morgan - a Quartermaster with the blockade forces who was shot and killed
by the Aldington gang "the Blues" on the beach in Dover on 30 July, 1826.
The Smugglers
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George Ransley - the leader of the Aldington Gang from 1822 after Cephas Quested
had been captured. He was well liked in the Aldington area but was eventually
captured in 1826 and sent to Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania). Here he eventually
started farming 500 acres at River Plenty, Hobart and his wife and ten children sailed
out to join him. (b. c.1770 - d.1856)
Elizabeth Bailey - the maiden name of the wife of George Ransley. Also, originally
from Aldington.
Cephas Quested - Leader of the Aldington Gang until 1821 when he was caught and
hung on the 4 July, 1821. Although ordered to be hung in chains at Brookland,
through the intervention of Sir Edward Knatchbull he was quietly taken to Aldington
and buried there.
Characters from stories about smuggling
Dr Syn, the ‘Scarecrow’, Mr Mipps and Squire Cobtree
Dr Christopher Syn alias the Scarecrow. The Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn is the
smuggler hero of a series of novels by Russell Thorndike. The first book in this series,
Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh was published in 1915. The idea for the
story came from true smuggling tales in the Romney Marsh in the 18th century,
where brandy, lace and tobacco were brought in at night from French boats due to
the very high excise duties (taxes) being charged at that time. Minor battles were
fought, sometimes at night, between gangs of smugglers and the customs men.
Christopher Syn was a brilliant scholar who also possessed many skills such as riding,
fencing, and seamanship. After many adventures he became a pirate but returned to
England on the night of a terrible storm which wrecked his ship off the coast Romney
Marsh, leaving him the only survivor. He managed to reach the shore safely and that
same night turned up at the house of his old friend Squire Anthony Cobtree. When
news came that that the local vicar had drowned while trying to save victims of the
shipwreck, Squire Cobtree offered the post to Christopher Syn. Syn accepted and
settled down to a more respectable life as the vicar of Dymchurch.
Ian Coulson
Dr. Syn soon found out that his parishioners were smuggling goods from France to
avoid the very high customs duties the government charged. Learning from his friend
Mr. Mipps that certain townsfolk had been ambushed and captured during a
smuggling run, Christopher Syn purchased the great black stallion Gehenna from a
band of gypsies and raced to their rescue. A suit of clothing borrowed from a
scarecrow made an improvised disguise, and Syn and Mipps were able to rescue the
townsfolk from the customs men and Dragoons.
After this, Doctor Syn decided that he could only protect the people of Dymchurch
people by becoming their leader. He created a more elaborate scarecrow costume,
complete with eerie luminous paint. At night riding his horse Gehenna, the
respectable Dr. Christopher Syn became "The Scarecrow", the feared head of the
smugglers.
After many adventures he was killed in a fight and buried at sea.
Ian Coulson