Lanty Slee
Encyclopedia
Lancelot 'Lanty' Slee was a Lake District
farmer, quarryman and notorious smuggler. The name 'Lanty' is a diminutive for Lancelot used in the Lake District.
and lived in Little Langdale
for most of his life.
He is variously reported to have been a farmer and a quarryman as a day job but also had a thriving business in smuggling. Slee operated multiple illicit still
s for production of moonshine
whisky
which he sold for 10 shilling
s per gallon
, or smuggled with packhorses via Wrynose Pass and Hardknott to Ravenglass
. He transported smuggled tobacco on the return journey. The whisky was sold to "discerning local gentry and professional classes" including a local magistrate
.
One of his many stills and stores throughout Langdale and the surrounding area was in a cave in Moss Rigg quarry in Little Langdale, the cave is now walled up. Another was hidden in a quarry scar on the route up to Betsy Crag where remnants of his equipment still survived until the 1960s. A still beneath Low Arnside Farm was connected to an underground pipe so that the steam produced seemingly eminated from a hedge in a nearby field. 'Lanty's Cave' his largest still was in a field at Arnside.
In 1840 Slee built Greenbank Farm in Little Langdale where he then lived for some time before subsequently moving to Low Arnside.
He was convicted at least twice although his stills and stashes of moonshine were hardly ever found by the excise
men and his wit led to hilarious episodes in the Ambleside
courtrooms.
Lanty fathered a son named Joseph in 1850 when he was living at Low Arnside. His occupation listed on the baptism register at that time was a farmer. Another son named Adam lived to be more than 100.
William Pattinson, Lanty's business partner, informed on him to the local magistrate
s after a quarrel relating to the business. Slee was convicted of illegal distillation of liquor in May 1853 and fined £150. Pattinson fled the area. In 1855 he is listed as still living at Low Arnside but subsequently Slee moved back to Little Langdale and set up new stills. He died at Greenbank Farm in 1878.
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
farmer, quarryman and notorious smuggler. The name 'Lanty' is a diminutive for Lancelot used in the Lake District.
Life
Slee a 'stiff, fresh faced man of great endurance' was of Irish descent but originally came from BorrowdaleBorrowdale
Borrowdale is a valley and civil parish in the English Lake District in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England.Borrowdale lies within the historic county boundaries of Cumberland, and is sometimes referred to as Cumberland Borrowdale in order to distinguish it from another Borrowdale in the...
and lived in Little Langdale
Little Langdale
Little Langdale is a valley in the Lake District, England containing Little Langdale Tarn and a hamlet also called Little Langdale. A second tarn, Blea Tarn, is in a hanging valley between Little Langdale and the larger Great Langdale to the north...
for most of his life.
He is variously reported to have been a farmer and a quarryman as a day job but also had a thriving business in smuggling. Slee operated multiple illicit still
Still
A still is a permanent apparatus used to distill miscible or immiscible liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor...
s for production of moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
which he sold for 10 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s per gallon
Gallon
The gallon is a measure of volume. Historically it has had many different definitions, but there are three definitions in current use: the imperial gallon which is used in the United Kingdom and semi-officially within Canada, the United States liquid gallon and the lesser used United States dry...
, or smuggled with packhorses via Wrynose Pass and Hardknott to Ravenglass
Ravenglass
Ravenglass is a small coastal village and natural harbour in Cumbria, England. It is the only coastal town within the Lake District National Park...
. He transported smuggled tobacco on the return journey. The whisky was sold to "discerning local gentry and professional classes" including a local magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
.
One of his many stills and stores throughout Langdale and the surrounding area was in a cave in Moss Rigg quarry in Little Langdale, the cave is now walled up. Another was hidden in a quarry scar on the route up to Betsy Crag where remnants of his equipment still survived until the 1960s. A still beneath Low Arnside Farm was connected to an underground pipe so that the steam produced seemingly eminated from a hedge in a nearby field. 'Lanty's Cave' his largest still was in a field at Arnside.
In 1840 Slee built Greenbank Farm in Little Langdale where he then lived for some time before subsequently moving to Low Arnside.
He was convicted at least twice although his stills and stashes of moonshine were hardly ever found by the excise
Excise
Excise tax in the United States is a indirect tax on listed items. Excise taxes can be and are made by federal, state and local governments and are far from uniform throughout the United States...
men and his wit led to hilarious episodes in the Ambleside
Ambleside
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...
courtrooms.
Lanty fathered a son named Joseph in 1850 when he was living at Low Arnside. His occupation listed on the baptism register at that time was a farmer. Another son named Adam lived to be more than 100.
William Pattinson, Lanty's business partner, informed on him to the local magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
s after a quarrel relating to the business. Slee was convicted of illegal distillation of liquor in May 1853 and fined £150. Pattinson fled the area. In 1855 he is listed as still living at Low Arnside but subsequently Slee moved back to Little Langdale and set up new stills. He died at Greenbank Farm in 1878.