John Carter was a notorious English smuggler, nicknamed the "King of Prussia" in reference to his smuggling operations out of Prussia Cove

Prussia Cove

Prussia Cove , formerly called the King's Cove, is a small private estate on the coast of Mount's Bay and to the east of Cudden Point, west Cornwall, UK. Part of the area is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest , a Geological Conservation Review site and is in an Area of Outstanding...

, Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

 with his brothers, Harry and Charles.He obtained the nickname because he was said to closely resemble Frederick the Great, the King of Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

, and was said to much admire him, and gave his name to the cove, located east of Penzance

Penzance

Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...

.The BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 said of the brothers, "The Carters of Prussia Cove are among the most famous of all the Cornish smugglers."

By all accounts, despite his profession, Carter was a devout Methodist and was noted for his honest dealing as a smuggler.Much of what we know about John came from his brother Harry's autobiography and folklore passed down through the generations.