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  #1  
Old 25-03-2015, 12:38 PM
janwhin janwhin is offline
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Default Customs Officials

Despite being a coastal county we haven't done anything on smuggling or customs officers. We've probably got a few people in this forum whose ancestors worked for customs. On the other hand we could have a few descended from smugglers, all those tales of tunnels under Amble!
Here's my starter, the son in law of my three times great grandfather was an excise officer and he left notes of his career and other pieces of correspondence, now at Woodhorn.
He was born in Newburn, on the Tyne, and became an excise officer in 1796. He was moved round the county, frequently, presumably to avoid corruption. His "Rides" included Morpeth, Warkworth, Alnwick, Wooler. He was at the Warkworth Ride from 1797 to 1801. When he retired in 1838 he was awarded superannuation of £72 per annum. Each time he was moved he had to submit an expenses account to explain the costs of removing himself and his family between Rides.
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Old 25-03-2015, 07:15 PM
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Default Customs officers

My husbands grandfather, RJ Burgess,who lived in Beaconsfield Terrace Amble, next door to Mr and Mrs Carse, was Customs Officer from1903 til probably 1921 when he retired. He was born in County Down Ireland, worked in various locations in Ireland and Scotland before arriving in Amble. My grandfather was a Chief Engineer on the Chevington and I have his log book which has R J Burgess signature as officer at Warkworth Harbour. Small world !
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Old 25-03-2015, 10:03 PM
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Where was Beaconsfield Terrace in Amble? and did the Coastguards work with Customs as I have Chief Boatman to the Coastguard relatives from Craster to Alnmouth then Amble 1850s to 70s
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Old 25-03-2015, 10:50 PM
leslie leslie is offline
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BeaconsField Terrace , Top of Church St lading to Queen St , Beaconsfield House is one of the two big ones .
In 1914 the Amble Golf club secretary was R J Burgess 6, Beaconsfield Terrace, Amble. their Son is listed on the war Memorial!
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Old 26-03-2015, 09:25 AM
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The Customs reference in my 1888 'Amble Almanack'
is to a Mr J. Kelly as officer and a Mr E Webster as his assistant.
I can't find these two in the 1891 census for Amble so perhaps
move on by then.


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Old 26-03-2015, 09:40 AM
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There's plenty unpleasantness in earlier times regarding stealing from wrecks:

From Hodgson:


In 1316 a ship laden at Hartlepool with wheat, rye, and salt, and bound for Berwick-on-Tweed, for the sustenance of the garrison there, having been driven ashore at the port of Warkworth by the attack of pirates, was boarded by Richard de Thirlewal, Robert de Arreyns, Eustace the constable of Warkworth, John de Aketon, Hugh Galoun, John of Lescebury and others, who carried away the cargo and arrested the ship. A commission was thereupon issued at the suit of Richard de la More and others, the master and freighters of the ship.
Eight years later a ship belonging to certain merchants of Bruges and Ypres (John Robin being master), and freighted `cum lanis, coriis, pellibus, lanutis,' and other goods to the value of £600, shipped at Berwick and bound for Flanders, was cast ashore at Amble in a storm. The master and crew escaped safe to land, whereby the said goods and chattels could not be called a wreck according to the law and custom of England ; yet Adam son of Nicholas of Haukeslawe, Robert de Raynham, Roger son of Robert de Raynham, Robert brother of the same Roger, William son of Thomas, Roger son of William son of Thomas, Robert son of William son of Thomas, Nicholas son of Adam of Haukeslawe, Henry de Rihill of Werkeworth, Adam ` le taillour,' William Fox, Thomas Egly, Henry ` le peschour,' Nicholas Scot, John Cokkebayn, Alan Alegode of Werkeworth, Richard the grieve of Togesdene, William son of Robert, Stephen of Togesden, Adam son of Peter of Anebille, Henry son of Robert, William son of Henry, Robert ` ponder,' Robert Batyn, John son of Simon, John `le fevre' of Anebille, Hugh Wayt of Aclynton, William Paynesman of Aclynton, Nicholas Mawsone of Newbiggyng, Alexander son of Elias, Robert Shoute, John Hant, John son of John ' le clerk,' John son of Juliana, Roger Botting, and Robert del Borne of Newbiggyng and others, seized and robbed the ship at the vill of Anebille. The king, on the petition of the merchants, on the 28th of March, 1324, ordered an enquiry.

I'm sure some of that mob still have descendants in the district! [Robert Batyn ... now Beattie perhaps?? I better be careful here, I'll get a solicitor's letter ]
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Old 27-03-2015, 01:35 PM
janwhin janwhin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hollydog View Post
and did the Coastguards work with Customs as I have Chief Boatman to the Coastguard relatives from Craster to Alnmouth then Amble 1850s to 70s
I don't know about the relationship between coastguards and customs. One of my other Warkworth ancestors went to live in North Shields and was, for a time, a tide waiter. These were definitely customs officials. Ships would stand off waiting for the tide to allow them into port. The tide waiters would row out to the ships and inspect them to see what duty needed to be paid. We're talking here about 1840s and 1850s. On his marriage certificate he is a tide waiter for HM Customs.
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Old 27-03-2015, 01:47 PM
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http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/Coastguards/
Genuki has a great resource for coastguards. It gives a history and NA references. It also has an alpha list of individual coastguards, including Mr Young at Amble.
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Old 27-03-2015, 01:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by janwhin View Post
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/Coastguards/
Genuki has a great resource for coastguards. It gives a history and NA references. It also has an alpha list of individual coastguards, including Mr Young at Amble.
Thanks Janwhin, I have often referred to this list. A family mystery is a Neil Cancarrow on this list, listed as Matilda Matthews (James Youngs future wife - my g g g grandmother) grandfather. Clearly from census records he was not, and on the 1851 census he is Neil Cameron of Scottish decsent not old enough to be her grandfather. We have never established where he fits in to the family history!
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Old 28-03-2015, 12:31 PM
janwhin janwhin is offline
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I've had a look at that census, Hollydog and the original image says G daughter. Do you think it might be god daughter? That particular enumerator writes out grand in full for other entries??
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Old 28-03-2015, 01:25 PM
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Just come across a useful article about coastguards...they came from a merger of the Revenue cruisers, the Riding Officers and the Preventative Water Guard in the early 1820s. Variously known as customs officers, excise officers, coastguards, revenue men and preventative officers. The coastguard was originally employed to counteract smuggling activity and to collect duties. (I'll add my tide waiters to this list then!)
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Old 28-03-2015, 01:37 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by janwhin View Post
I've had a look at that census, Hollydog and the original image says G daughter. Do you think it might be god daughter? That particular enumerator writes out grand in full for other entries??
That is probably the explanation Janwhin, thanks for your time once again!
He must have been stationed with her father somewhere earlier in his career.

He went on to be mentioned in newspapers for a rescue in the Morecombe area if I recall correctly. I couldn't find anyway of tracking down what ultimately happened to him though.
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Old 28-03-2015, 02:10 PM
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He is in Lancashire at the 1861 census (down as unmarried) and retired and back in Scotland in 1871. He says he was born in Campbeltown, Argyll and is living with his married brother, Daniel, also a coastguard. After that no trace and Daniel is still living in Campbeltown.
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Old 28-03-2015, 05:30 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by janwhin View Post
He is in Lancashire at the 1861 census (down as unmarried) and retired and back in Scotland in 1871. He says he was born in Campbeltown, Argyll and is living with his married brother, Daniel, also a coastguard. After that no trace and Daniel is still living in Campbeltown.
Thankyou again Janwhin, are Scottish death records available or were they destroyed in a fire ? I might be mistaken!
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Old 28-03-2015, 05:51 PM
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Records are available via Scotlandspeople. You might be right about a fire though as I had a brief attempt at finding either Neil or Daniel's deaths and was unsuccessful
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Old 29-03-2015, 03:05 PM
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A report of a smuggling boat in the Courant of 21 December 1765:
"They write from Berwick, that the Adventure armed cutter has driven a smuggling sloop, with spirits, tobacco, &c, from Campvere, upon the Scares Rocks, opposite Cocket Island; the vessel and cargo are lost."
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Old 31-03-2015, 04:21 PM
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Another interesting one in the Courant of 1 December 1792:
"A reward of fifty pounds. Whereas it has been represented to the Commissioners of his Majesty's Customs, that in the night of Monday the 15th of October last, WILLIAM BUTEMENT, Coastwaiter and Preventative Officer at Alemouth, within the port of Berwick, having at a place called BOOMER, near Alemouth aforesaid, made seizure of a boat containing several ankers of Geneva, was attacked by three men, who were supposed to have landed from an oyster boat belonging to----------DONALDSON of Cockaney, near Preston Pans, and then going to Newcastle; which said persons, after beating him in a violent manner, took from him the said boat and Geneva, together with his pistol, hat and shoes.
The Commissioners of his Majesty's Customs, in order to bring to justice the persons concerned in this outrage, are hereby pleased to offer a reward of FIFTY POUNDS, to any person or persons who shall discover and apprehend, or cause to be discovered and apprehended, any one or more of the offenders, to be paid by the Collector of Customs at Berwick, upon conviction."
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Old 31-03-2015, 07:49 PM
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Here's an early customs official in Amble. From elsewhere it seems that Amble came under the port of Shields and a principal coasting officer was appointed.

Newcastle Guardian, 8 July 1854:
"Mr Richardson, principal coast officer of the Customs at Amble, who has been promoted to be comptroller at Scilly, was, on the evening of Thursday last, entertained at supper at Mr Robson's, Queen's Head Inn, Amble, and presented with a valuable silver snuff box and gold pencil case, as a testimonial of respect for his upright and honourable conduct during a residence of nearly eight years."

Joseph Davison, tide waiter at Shields became acting principal coast officer in his place. He was quickly replaced by Mr Arkless as principal cost officer, formerly at Grimsby.

Last edited by janwhin; 31-03-2015 at 07:55 PM.
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Old 02-04-2015, 08:51 AM
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Interesting to see a reference to an Edinburgh oyster boat in the Boulmer incident. Was searching for references to this activity in Victorian times via google. Apparently there was a dramatic and sudden collapse of the UK oyster fisheries in the mid 19c, but I can't find any specific reference to oyster beds and fishing in the north east.

Not my favourite food oysters. Tried them once raw straight out of the shell. Won't do that again.
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Old 02-04-2015, 08:57 AM
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Quote:
"Mr Richardson, principal coast officer of the Customs at Amble,
Wish I could claim him as one of mine, but my Richardson clan were miners way down south at West Chevington at this time.
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