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The Net Shed, Polperro, Cornwall
Polperro has been a fishing and smuggling centre dating back at least to the 13th century. Polperro notoriety was such that the Revenue men had a permanent base here. During the 18th century the British government had to fund their many wars, and this was done in part by increasing taxes on "luxury goods" like tea, tobacco, brandy and Polperro was well places to get involved in smuggling - a sheltered harbour, and fairly remote.
Ships loaded with contraband were brought in to land a cargo in Talland Bay often at night and perhaps with a gale running. The "Mr Big" of the smuggling trade was one Zephaniah Job, who came to Polperro in the early 1770s and lived here till he died in 1822. Zephaniah Job issued his own Polperro banknotes, and had his own London agent to handle the transfer of money to the Guernsey merchants for contraband goods the smugglers were bringing in. And he briefed his own lawyers when the local smugglers were brought before the court. John Wesley, the Methodist preacher, is said to have visited the village in 1762, and rued the smuggling: "An accursed thing among them: wellnigh one and all bought or sold unaccustomed goods."
At this time the Admiralty licensed privateers to attack and capture enemy ships, and many Polperro ships benefited from the wealth that this brought to them, often adding to their privateer income by smuggling on the side.
After 1800, the government took tough action against smuggling and one of the first Preventive Water Guard boats was stationed at Polperro. As a result, the smuggling trade in Polperro began to diminish.
