The Pritchard Smuggling Tale

The following is taken from a transcript of a recording made in the 1960's and is a a family tale of smuggling on the Redbridge to Andover canal in Hampshire, about 150 years ago.


The story is told by W. J. Pritchard, (1873-1963), who was told by his mother who died in 1900.


The interviewer is his son, William Walter Pritchard, (1909-1977). The recording was made some time in 1960 for the benefit of his grandson, James William, Jimmy, (1946-).

Contributed by Hamilton Pritchard

William Walter Now then, Pop, we'd like to hear something about the origins of the Pritchards and their background - about the smugglers.
William James Ah well Jimmy, some time ago you asked me to give you some particulars about my forefathers, and depredations, about the adventure in the world of Smuggling. Well, as I can remember here, it appears that one John Pritchard and his brothers used run or sail boats from the South Wales south-west ports of Wales to go around Land's End and up the East [he must have meant south] coast [and] turn up the River Test. Their cargo was coal. I understand that was how it started, but one day they met a Frenchman who was engaged in wine-running and rum and other spirit liquors. I suppose that's what makes this a rum tale! It appears that John was always ready to make a little extra cash so as [it] appears that [they?] arranged with a lady who was living on Mud Island to let them dig some vaults near her house where they stored their stuff. It worked very well for a time, and then the excise people got on their track and they found that it was very difficult to hide their things. Anyway, the excise people brought a boring machine and bored holes down in the ground and they went within an inch or two of where the vault really was, but they never found it; and they were watched from the time they got up the Test, past Redbridge, to this Mud Island; and then they had a confederate at Andover. At that time there was a canal running from Redbridge, Romsey, to Andover and they had a confederate at Andover who used to take some of their stuff somewhere on the hills around Andover. I can't tell you where it was, but the story goes that he had a vault dug in the chalk and he made a big box, then planted a gooseberry bush in this box and that's what covered up his hole, so that they never really found him at all, anything wrong with him, but after a while the excise people watched them so closely that they hadn't got room to do, and so they had to give the job up; and John went over to the Isle of Wight to live and took up the Brick making business; so I don't know how many generations again it was. [It] would be about 150 to 200 years ago I should think; and then my Father, James Pritchard, he had a Brickyard; and his brother, Thomas, had a Brickyard in a place called Braishfield [pronounced 'Brashfield']; and that's about all that I can tell you about it because I heard it from my Mother, and she's been dead over 60 years, so that's all that I know about it. But it was very strange, some years ago my son Fred was at a tea-party in Salem Chapel [in Cheltenham] (or near Salem Chapel somewhere) and there was a woman whose name was Mrs Pritchard, same as ours, and they got chatting and then Fred said to her about this smuggling. "Oh," she says, "do you know anything more about that?" she says "I know the whole story," but evidently she didn't tell him anything more, so that about all I can tell you. You must make up the rest and fill in the blanks where I've stammered, so goodbye, Jim.
William Walter Hey, but what about - you forgot to tell us about the old lady on Mud Island, interviewed by the excise people.
William James Oh yes, I forgot that! That's one day the excise people went over to the Island to see what the old lady that lived there knew about this business. She used to do a lot of knitting, as women did in those days, and she shammed a bit. She could hear all right, but she made out as though she was deaf, and when they went to ask her questions she'd bring out some of her woollen garments that she'd made and offer them to them, offer these things to them for sale, but they said, "No, we don't want that, we want to know about - do you know anything about this smuggling that's going on?" "Oh," she'd say, "I couldn't take anything less. It cost me a lot of money and a lot of time to make these things." That's all that I know.
   
Notes a). Indistinct parts on the tape have been included in square brackets [ ].
b). Researching our family history we have found that there was a John Pritchard (1788-1872) and a brother James, (1794-1838). This James being W.J.'s grandfather. Both these brothers were bargemen, as stated in various sources. From Piggots Hampshire Trade Directory (1831-2); "Under conveyance by water - to Redbridge, John Pritchard [amongst others], call at the warfe occasionally".
  Compiled by H. J. Pritchard. 30 October 2000. Contact me: mailto:hami@hami.co.uk?subject=EMAIL from Pritchard Smuggling

FOOTNOTE

The Pritchard smugglers

As told by Eveline May Williams nee Pritchard (1899 – 1981), daughter of Percy Pritchard (1870 – 1955) in a letter to Joseph Futcher in 1970.

 Joey

 Some few things you may not know re. The Pritchards.

My Dad who we always called “Dadders” always told us as children when talking of the family that our forefathers, generations ago were smugglers.

 The Pirate ships used to come into the coves on the Welsh seacoast and (Pritchard is a Welsh name) our forefathers used to put the contrabrand into small boats and hug the coast line to Romsey up via tributary and brought the stuff thro the secret underground passages thro Romsey abbey, so you’re finding out that we came from the Isle Of Wight may account for that.

 Dadders said that was how the Welsh Pritchards came to Hampshire as they had to have men at the Romsey end. Hope you will be able to find out something about this.

Notes.

1) The Pritchard family did not come from IOW, rather Lockerley and Sherfield English, Hampshire.

2) The smugglers would have used the “Sprat & Winkle” canal, which was fed by the River Test, rather than a “tributary”.

3)  Eveline’s source was her father, Percy Pritchard. Both Percy and his brother William James would have been told by their mother, Sarah Pritchard nee Tarrant (1830 –1900).