The King's promise

In 1803, after a short period of peace, Britain again went to war with France, this time to challenge the imperial desires of the tyrant Napoleon Bonaparte.

The British government had concerns that smugglers who had taken refuge overseas to evade punishment - like me - might give traitorous assistance to the enemy. The King therefore issued a proclamation, not unlike the one Isaac Gulliver had accepted, that promised a pardon to any smuggler who returned to Britain and vowed to refrain from smuggling.

I was 52 years of age when I accepted the King’s offer. After nearly 20 years I could at last return home without fear of arrest. Sadly, the home to which I returned was much changed. My dear wife Rose, who had kept house and raised our ten children alone during my long absences, had died the previous year. So too had Hannah Seller, so long the mistress of Haven House.

Two years later, in 1805, Admiral Nelson won his famous victory over the allied French and Spanish fleets off Cape Trafalgar on the Spanish coast, thereby confirming the Royal Navy’s command of the sea. However, that victory was at the cost of his noble life. It is reputed that the last man to have spoken with Nelson before his final departure from England was his long-time friend George Rose, who had dined with him on the Victory the very evening before he sailed from Portsmouth.

To help fund the war the customs duty on tea was again increased to a high level, which made the smuggling of tea once again profitable - but the war also presented smugglers with new opportunities. Many thousands of French soldiers and sailors were brought to Britain as prisoners of war and some smugglers were willing to help them escape across the Channel - for a fee.

Did you know?

Although HMS Victory is now in dry dock at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. She remains the flagship of the First Sea Lord and is believed to be the oldest commissioned warship in the world.

You can listen to the audio track for this trail spot below, or read the audio transcript.