Join the trail for tales of adventure along the water and out to sea.

Poole's natural harbour was a magnet for shipping and the medieval town became a bustling port. The Quay was lined with warehouses packed with local products, such as wool for export. Alleyways echoed with the whispers of smugglers and pirates.

Smuggling reached its height in the 1700s, high taxes on luxury goods like spirits and tea gave smugglers an opportunity.

By the 1780s smuggling was rife in Poole even in broad daylight; “for such is their numbers and insolence that the officers of the revenue dare not attempt to approach them”.

The Poole Pirate Harry Paye

The legendary Harry Paye was a master of making a living from the sea. He sailed these waters in the early 1400s attacking French ships (with the King's permission) and smuggling in foreign goods (without the King's permission). His raiding parties went as far as Cape Finisterre in northern Spain.

But even ruthless Harry who was an expert in capturing cargo, kidnapping crews and demanding ransoms, sometimes found himself in sticky situations.

The Pirate Prisoner

In 1404 Harry was aboard a ship captured by French sailors, Harry’s most fearful enemy.  They were thrilled to have finally captured Harry, the men went below deck in search of booty. Suddenly, they heard a war-cry. Harry and his fellow prisoners had broken free, attacking the guards and slaying the crew. Paye took charge of two French vessels and while still flying the French flag, sailed up the Seine plundering the ships he passed.

What Happened To Harry?

For years Harry was unstoppable. He captured ships, took cargo and assaulted sailors. In 1406 the King had words with Harry who had taken a wine vessel owned by a London merchant. But after 1407 there are no more records of Harry’s adventures.

On the floor of a church in Kent is a worn memorial brass, reading, ‘Here Lies Harry Paye’. The Poole Pirate seems to have died in 1419.

His memorial in the church says that is is an 'armiger', the Latin word of 'Esquire' meaning that he was just below a knight in the social order. So it seems that the fearsome Harry became respectable at last... perhaps after sharing some of his booty with the king?

The Hawkhurst Gang

The Hawkhurst Gang were the most feared smugglers in Dorset in the mid 1700s.

They were once caught red-handed with an illegal cargo, which was seized and locked in Poole's Custom House under the guns of a naval ship. By 2am low tide had taken the ship's guns
below the quayside. The gang broke in, grabbed all the cargo they could carry and escaped on horseback.

Fear of their violence turned to anger after the murder of two innocent locals. The ringleaders were betrayed, captured and executed.

Audio Transcript

When a town makes its money from trade, some things can be inevitable. Where there is trade, you can be fairly sure there will be taxes. Especially on imported goods like tobacco and spirits. And where there are taxes? You can be fairly sure there will also be smugglers.

For two hundred years, the ports of the South Coast saw a battle between smugglers and the excise men as the tax collectors were known. The smugglers were often local fishermen with intimate knowledge of the coast and the skills to bring a small boat to shore at night to unload. The excise men, generally from outside the area, relied on patrols and searches to intercept these smuggled cargoes.

In the mid-1700s, the Hawkhurst gang were the most feared smugglers in Dorset. One dramatic chapter of their story occurred right at the spot where you are standing. If you look over to the other side of the street, you can see an elegant building with a curved double staircase. This is Paul's custom house where the excise men had their base.

In 1747, the Hawkhurst Gang lost a valuable cargo of tea, coffee and Brandy to the excise men off the coast of Dorset. The cargo was brought to Poole and stored in the Custom House, protected by the guns of a Royal Navy Sloop tied up at the quayside. The Hawkhurst Gang were determined to get their goods back and they realised that the time and tide were on their side. On the 8th of October 1747, they waited in the vicinity as the tide went out. The Navy Sloop dropped lower and lower until about 2am in the morning. Her guns were below the edge of the quayside, making them temporarily useless. The gang pounced, breaking open the doors of the Custom House, carrying out the smuggled tea worth about £500, and escaping on horseback.

The gang's success was short lived, however. Some months later, they brutally murdered two men they suspected of working for the excise. Local opinion turned against them and within a couple of years all the gang members had either been killed in fights and by the courts or had fled abroad.