The Aldington Gang
Encyclopedia
Aldington
was the stronghold of The Aldington Gang, a band of smugglers roaming the Romney Marsh
es and shore
s of Kent
. The gang's leaders, made the local inn
, The Walnut Tree, their headquarters and drop for their contraband
. The Inn was often used when they waited for others of their group to bring in goods from across the Marshes. High up on the southern side of the inn is a small window through which the gang would shine a signal light to their partners up on Aldington Knoll when the way was clear for them.
They were probably the last 'major' gang that existed in Kent and it is believed that they were known as The Blues from the colour of the clothing that they wore or from blue flare
s used for signalling.
, St. Margaret's Bay
, north of Dover. The gang carried out a landing near Sandgate
with 250 men taking part, unloading a galley laden with spirits, tobacco and salt that had been rowed across the Channel from Boulogne and pulled up onto the shingle beach. Three groups of smugglers had gathered; one to unload and transport the cargo and two groups of "Batmen", to protect the first, they were spotted by a few local blockade men, as the main blockade force had been lured away by the smugglers.
"Batmen" stood guard when a run was taking place to fight off anyone who tried to interfere. They gained their name from the long clubs, or ‘bats’ they carried. Some smugglers used guns, although the shooting of the Revenue officer often roused the authorities to step up their efforts against smuggling.
In February 1821 the Battle of Brookland took place between the Customs and Excise men and the Aldington Gang, the smugglers had sent 250 men down to the coast between Camber
and Dungeness but the party was seen by the Watch House at Camber and a fight took place over Walland Marsh. Although the Gang successfully completed the unloading of the goods, they were harried right across the Marshes until they reached Brookland
where the Gang turned on the blockade force. Five men were killed in the fighting and there were more than twenty wounded.
Their leader at that time was Cephas Quested who, in the confusion of the Battle, turned to a man close by him, handed him a musket and instructed him to "blow an Officer's brains out", unfortunately for Quested, in the confusion of the fight and being somewhat intoxicated, the man that he had turned to was a Midshipman
of the blockade force who immediately turned the gun on Quested and arrested him. After being sentenced, Quested was taken to Newgate and hanged for his activities on 4 July 1821.
In 1792 George Ransley was born at Ruckinge
, and started work as a ploughman then a carter. The story goes that he found a stash of spirits
hidden by the smugglers and with the proceeds of the sale bought his house The Bourne Tap, from where he frequently sold spirits that he had landed. Another location regularly frequented by the Gang at this time was an Augustine
Priory
, which was actually used as a farm house, at Bilsington
which they would use as a store house.
Ransley took over the gang of smugglers, after the Battle of Brookland, and employed a doctor, with an allowance paid to a man's family if he was ill, a policy that avoided the capture of injured men by the revenue forces and helped to ensure loyalty. The gang became stronger and landed goods all along the coast from Rye
to Deal
. In July 1826 they were caught on the beach at Dover
and a Midshipman
, Richard Morgan was killed. In October 1826 Ransley was arrested at Aldington by the Bow Street Runners
on suspicion of murder, but as it took place in the dark, the death sentence was converted to deportation along with his brother-in-law Samuel Bailey as was fellow gang members Thomas Gillham and James Hogben.
Ransley was sent to work on a farm in Tasmania
where his knowledge of farming was a great benefit to him. Two years later his wife, Elizabeth and ten children ( only nine survived the journey) followed. He was assigned to his wife in 1833. He was finally granted a pardon in 1838 and farmed500 acres (2 km²) at River Plenty
, Hobart
. He died in 1856 and is buried in River Plenty New Norfolk along with his wife.
The problems were compounded when Richard Morgan, a member of the blockade forces at Dover, was shot and killed. Morgan, who was a quartermaster with the blockade, was well liked in Dover and spotted the Gang trying to run a cargo ashore on Dover Beach. After firing a warning shot the Gang turned on him, resulting in his death and the wounding of a seaman who was with him. A reward was offered for information after this incident which was claimed by several people and as a consequence, in October, 1826 the blockade forces together with two Bow Street Runners
raided The Bourne Tap and captured George Ransley and seven other members of the Gang. Eventually a total of nineteen men were captured and stood trial
at Maidstone
Assizes in January 1827. They were all found guilty of charges that carried the death penalty but their lawyer
, a local gentleman from Maidstone, managed to get their sentences commuted to transportation.
Aldington, Kent
Aldington is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village centre is eight miles south-east of the town of Ashford...
was the stronghold of The Aldington Gang, a band of smugglers roaming the Romney Marsh
Romney Marsh
Romney Marsh is a sparsely populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. It covers about 100 mi ² .-Quotations:*“As Egypt was the gift of the Nile, this level tract .....
es and shore
Shore
A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...
s of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. The gang's leaders, made the local inn
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, The Walnut Tree, their headquarters and drop for their contraband
Contraband
The word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
. The Inn was often used when they waited for others of their group to bring in goods from across the Marshes. High up on the southern side of the inn is a small window through which the gang would shine a signal light to their partners up on Aldington Knoll when the way was clear for them.
They were probably the last 'major' gang that existed in Kent and it is believed that they were known as The Blues from the colour of the clothing that they wore or from blue flare
Flare (pyrotechnic)
A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for signalling, illumination, or defensive countermeasures in civilian and military applications...
s used for signalling.
The Gang's activities
The gang was probably founded in or around 1817 as gang based smuggling returned, but the first mention of the Aldington Gang was in November 1820 after the men had returned home from the Napoleonic Wars and found little to do to make any money. It is believed that they were active well before this date and were responsible for incidents in DealDeal, Kent
Deal is a town in Kent England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town...
, St. Margaret's Bay
St. Margaret's Bay
St. Margaret's Bay may refer to:In Canada* St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia on the South Shore of Nova Scotia* St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia , a political division* Head of St. Margarets Bay, Nova ScotiaIn England...
, north of Dover. The gang carried out a landing near Sandgate
Sandgate
Sandgate can be:*Sandgate, Kent*Sandgate Castle*Sandgate, Queensland*Sandgate, New South Wales, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales*Sandgate, Vermont*Electoral district of Sandgate, Queensland, Australia...
with 250 men taking part, unloading a galley laden with spirits, tobacco and salt that had been rowed across the Channel from Boulogne and pulled up onto the shingle beach. Three groups of smugglers had gathered; one to unload and transport the cargo and two groups of "Batmen", to protect the first, they were spotted by a few local blockade men, as the main blockade force had been lured away by the smugglers.
"Batmen" stood guard when a run was taking place to fight off anyone who tried to interfere. They gained their name from the long clubs, or ‘bats’ they carried. Some smugglers used guns, although the shooting of the Revenue officer often roused the authorities to step up their efforts against smuggling.
In February 1821 the Battle of Brookland took place between the Customs and Excise men and the Aldington Gang, the smugglers had sent 250 men down to the coast between Camber
Camber, East Sussex
Camber is a village and civil parish in the English county of East Sussex, three miles south-east of Rye. The village is located behind the sand dunes that occupy the estuary of the River Rother, where the seaside settlement of Camber Sands is situated.The village of Camber takes its name from...
and Dungeness but the party was seen by the Watch House at Camber and a fight took place over Walland Marsh. Although the Gang successfully completed the unloading of the goods, they were harried right across the Marshes until they reached Brookland
Brookland, Kent
Brookland is a village and civil parish in the Shepway district of Kent, England, about west of New Romney. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 453. It is located on the A259 road in Romney Marsh....
where the Gang turned on the blockade force. Five men were killed in the fighting and there were more than twenty wounded.
Their leader at that time was Cephas Quested who, in the confusion of the Battle, turned to a man close by him, handed him a musket and instructed him to "blow an Officer's brains out", unfortunately for Quested, in the confusion of the fight and being somewhat intoxicated, the man that he had turned to was a Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
of the blockade force who immediately turned the gun on Quested and arrested him. After being sentenced, Quested was taken to Newgate and hanged for his activities on 4 July 1821.
In 1792 George Ransley was born at Ruckinge
Ruckinge
The village of Ruckinge is located in Kent. It lies seven miles southeast of Ashford on the B2067 Hamstreet to Hythe road. It is the centre of a civil parish of the same name, which also includes the scattered community of Bromley Green...
, and started work as a ploughman then a carter. The story goes that he found a stash of spirits
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
hidden by the smugglers and with the proceeds of the sale bought his house The Bourne Tap, from where he frequently sold spirits that he had landed. Another location regularly frequented by the Gang at this time was an Augustine
Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597...
Priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
, which was actually used as a farm house, at Bilsington
Bilsington
Bilsington is a village and civil parish in the Ashford district of Kent, England. The village is south of Ashford, on the B2067, Hamstreet to Hythe road just north of the Royal Military Canal...
which they would use as a store house.
Ransley took over the gang of smugglers, after the Battle of Brookland, and employed a doctor, with an allowance paid to a man's family if he was ill, a policy that avoided the capture of injured men by the revenue forces and helped to ensure loyalty. The gang became stronger and landed goods all along the coast from Rye
Rye, East Sussex
Rye is a small town in East Sussex, England, which stands approximately two miles from the open sea and is at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede...
to Deal
Deal, Kent
Deal is a town in Kent England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town...
. In July 1826 they were caught on the beach at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
and a Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
, Richard Morgan was killed. In October 1826 Ransley was arrested at Aldington by the Bow Street Runners
Bow Street Runners
The Bow Street Runners have been called London's first professional police force. The force was founded in 1749 by the author Henry Fielding and originally numbered just six. Bow Street runners was the public's nickname for these officers, "although the officers never referred to themselves as...
on suspicion of murder, but as it took place in the dark, the death sentence was converted to deportation along with his brother-in-law Samuel Bailey as was fellow gang members Thomas Gillham and James Hogben.
Ransley was sent to work on a farm in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
where his knowledge of farming was a great benefit to him. Two years later his wife, Elizabeth and ten children ( only nine survived the journey) followed. He was assigned to his wife in 1833. He was finally granted a pardon in 1838 and farmed500 acres (2 km²) at River Plenty
Plenty River
The Plenty River is a tributary of the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. Originating in the forested slopes of Mount Disappointment, the Plenty River is the source of Melbourne's first major water supply in the form of the Yan Yean Reservoir....
, Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
. He died in 1856 and is buried in River Plenty New Norfolk along with his wife.
Downfall
The success of smuggling gangs is dependent upon the goodwill of the local people. The gang began to lose this special relationship as they extended their ruthless behaviour beyond that of the publicly acceptable crime of smuggling and turned on the rural communities. Some of the members of the Gang started resorting to breaking into local residences.The problems were compounded when Richard Morgan, a member of the blockade forces at Dover, was shot and killed. Morgan, who was a quartermaster with the blockade, was well liked in Dover and spotted the Gang trying to run a cargo ashore on Dover Beach. After firing a warning shot the Gang turned on him, resulting in his death and the wounding of a seaman who was with him. A reward was offered for information after this incident which was claimed by several people and as a consequence, in October, 1826 the blockade forces together with two Bow Street Runners
Bow Street Runners
The Bow Street Runners have been called London's first professional police force. The force was founded in 1749 by the author Henry Fielding and originally numbered just six. Bow Street runners was the public's nickname for these officers, "although the officers never referred to themselves as...
raided The Bourne Tap and captured George Ransley and seven other members of the Gang. Eventually a total of nineteen men were captured and stood trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
at Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
Assizes in January 1827. They were all found guilty of charges that carried the death penalty but their lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, a local gentleman from Maidstone, managed to get their sentences commuted to transportation.
Stories
- There is a story that as a result of a fight between the Gang members one night, one of the smugglers number was murdered and the body disposed of down a well at the side of the Inn. It is said that on some nights the sounds of scuffling and a body being dragged outside can still be heard.
- Although the Gang had a brutal reputation, they were not without a sense of humour. One officer who was blindfolded and had his legs bound was told he was to be thrown over a cliff. He managed to cling on to tufts of grass as he fell and hung with his legs dangling for some time. It was not until his blindfold slipped that he realised his feet were a matter of inches above the ground. The 'cliff' was only seven feet (2 m) high.
- Ransley lived at a The Bourne Tap and stories were circulated about there being a ghost which manifested itself as a floating severed head in the old building which served well to keep the curious away.
- Ransley was known for his organisational abilities but stories differ about the man. Some said he was a giant of over six feet, others said he was hardly more than five feet tall, some said he was a likeable rogue, others lived in absolute fear of him. Whatever was the truth, there was no doubt that he could be as ruthless as the situation demanded.