A wild child of the Forest

I have already told how unloaded contraband often required a great many labourers to convey it inland as swiftly as possible. In my time it was common to hire Forest men for this task.

One such Forest man was Peter Warne, who lived at Crow Hill on the road between Ringwood and Burley. Sadly he died in 1798, leaving his wife Sarah to bring up their young family.

It will be no surprise to learn that when his two sons, John and Peter, had grown to young manhood they too became involved in the smuggling trade. More exceptionally, so did one of their sisters – a wild child of the Forest if ever there was one - Lovey Warne.

Lovey was barely beyond childhood when I returned to Mudeford in 1803, but it was said that whenever John and Peter rode off to collect contraband from the coast she would take an innocent stroll on nearby Verely Hill.

If from its excellent vantage she saw any sign of Revenue Officers abroad she would casually expose the red lining of her cloak as a warning to her returning brothers.

As Lovey grew into a spirited young woman she did not remain content to be merely a lookout for her brothers, for she was known to tuck up her skirts or even dress in manly attire to ride alongside them with kegs of contraband hanging from her saddle.

I have heard that Lovey also employed a method of smuggling that was singularly appropriate to her sex. She would board a boat in the Harbour on some pretext and below deck disrobe and have herself tightly bound in contraband silk or other valuable fabric. She would then boldly return to shore with no one any the wiser about what she had concealed beneath her clothing.

Did you know?

A New Forest footpath leading from a car park near Lovey Warne’s childhood home at Crow Hill to nearby Vereley Hill and beyond is known as ‘Smugglers’ Road’.

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