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The King of Smugglers |
John Andrew 1757 to 1835
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Dates are in red.
Hyperlinks to other pages are in dark blue.
Headlines of John Andrew’s life are in brown.
References and citations are in turquoise.
Context and local history are in purple.
If you wake
at midnight, and hear a horse's feet,
Don't go
drawing back the blind, or looking in the street;
Them that
ask no questions isn't told a lie.
Watch the
wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by!
Five and
twenty ponies,
Trotting
through the dark.
Brandy for
the Parson,
Baccy for
the Clerk;
Laces for a
lady, letters for a spy,
And watch
the wall, my darling,
While the
Gentlemen go by.
The
Smuggler’s Song, Rudyard Kipling, 1906
1757
John Andrew, the son of James Andrew
(1726 to 1797) and Jean Kemloe (1721 to 1814) was
born in or about 1757 in Foudoun, Kincardineshire,
Scotland.
John Andrew’s Scottish family were
wealthy.
1778
John Andrew achieved the degree of
Master Mason of Kilwinnie Lodge, Montrose.
1779
Sometime before 1780, John Andrew moved
to Yorkshire.
1780
By 1780, John Andrew became the landlord
of the Ship Inn, in the village of Old Saltburn when he married the niece of
Will Harrison, the Ship Inn’s landlord. When John Andrew arrived in Saltburn,
the Ship was not the only pub in the small hamlet, other pubs included the
Seagull and the Nimrod. Until
1881, the pub also doubled up as a mortuary for the village, and later the
expanded town. The bodies of those who had drowned and washed up on the beach
were stored in the pub pending a post-mortem
The Victorian town of Saltburn by the Sea did not
yet exist, and Old Saltburn was a small fishing village.
John Andrew married Anne Harrison (1756
to 1827) on 26 July 1780 at Skelton. Both
John and Anne were of Skelton Parish by that time. The witnesses to the
marriage were John Searle and Thomas King. (MR)
Their daughter Mary Andrew (1781 to
1835) was born soon afterwards and baptised at Skelton on 13 May 1781.
1783
Their daughter Jane Andrew (1783 to
1861) was born on 7 November 1783.
1785
John Andrew, with his family wealth, and
his landlordship of Old’ Saltburn’s Inn, became a
respected member of the community.
The White House above the Ship Inn
(October 2021, RMF) The Old Saltburn coastline (October 2021,
RMF)
He entered into
a partnership with a local brewer and co-ordinated the local smuggling trade
from the Ship Inn and the White House.
There was an underground passage between
the White House and the Ship Inn with its entrance below the stable of a horse
that kicked out at anyone it did not know. This secret passage is said to have
led from halfway up Huntcliff to the Ship Inn, and
then continued through to the White House on top of the cliff.
His grand daughter
later christened him 'King of the Smugglers' and he came close to being
arrested on a number of occasions.
The saying “Andrew’s cow has calved” was part of the Saltburn smugglers’ code. When this
code word was spread, it meant that a smugglers’ boat was offshore and ready to
be unloaded. The community would then assist in unloading the illegal
contraband, which would be transported to safe hiding places using pack horses.
John Andrew’s tactics included hiding some of the goods in a chamber under one
of his stable stalls. He placed a vicious mare in that stall, ensuring that
anyone attempting to find his stash would be met with a swift kick.
He managed to combine being one of the
area’s most prolific criminals with a position in the branch of the local
militia (the Cleveland Volunteers) which was occasionally called upon to help
the customs officers in their pursuit of the smugglers.
John
Farndale (FAR00217) later wrote: Some years ago Old Saltburn imported lime,
lime stones, and coal, and also exported oak timber, prop wood, corf rods, alum and corn. It had a coal yard and
lime kilns, and there was a large alum house near Cat Neb. My grandfather, who was a Kiltonian, employed many men at this alum house, and many a
merry tale I have heard him tell of smugglers and their daring adventures and
hair breadth escapes. The lime kilns and coal yard were kept by old Mr William
Cooper, whose sloop, “The Two Brothers”, was continually employed in the
coasting trade. Behind the alum house, Thomas Hutchinson, Esq.,
late of Brotton House, made an easy carriage road from Saltburn to that place,
which road will always be a lasting monument to his memory.
In former
days, there were frequently seen lying before Old Saltburn three luggers at a
time, all laden with contraband goods, and the song of the crews used to be:- “If we should to the Scottish coast hie, We’ll make
Captain Ogleby, the king’s cutter, fly”
The
government, however, being determined to put a stop to this nefarious traffic,
a party of coast guards, with their cullasses,
swords, spy glasses, and dark lanterns, were sent to the Blue House, at Old
Saltburn. This came like a thunderbolt upon the astonished Saltburnians.
They made, however, two more efforts to continue the trade – one proved
successful, the other not.
The last
lugger but one bound to Saltburn was chased by the King’s cutter, and running
aground at Marske, she was taken by the coast guard, and all the crew were made
prisoners, and put into the lock up. While the coast guard were busy enjoying
their prize, all the prisoners escaped except one, who was found in Hazlegrip, and whom the King’s officers sadly cut up. Lord
Dundas, of Marske Hall, threatened to bring them to justice if the man died.
The last luggar that appeared on the coast was successful in
delivering her cargo. Two of the crew, fierce lion-looking fellows, landed, and
they succeeded in capturing two of the coast guard, whom they marched to the
other wide of Cat Neb, where they stood guard over them till the vessel got
delivered. While these jolly smugglers had the two men in custody, they sent to
the lugger for a keg of real Geneva, and at the point of the sword they
compelled the poor fellows to drink of that which was not the King’s portion.
After releasing their prisoners, and then telling them to go home, the
smugglers returned to their vessel, setting sail, they left the beach with
light hearts and a fair breeze.
Since the
merry days alluded to the glory of Old Saltburn has departed – its smuggling
days have passed away – its gin vaults have disappeared – and the gay roysterers who were wont to make Cat Neb and the adjacent
rocks resound with laughter, now rest in peace beneath the green hillocks in
the retired grave yards of Brotton and Skelton.
… Of late
years many buildings of Old Saltburn have fallen beneath the ruthless hand of
Time, and all that remain now are two or three humble looking cottages, with a
respectable inn, possessing good accommodation, the fair hostess being a grand daughter of the well known
and worthy huntsman, Mr John Andrews, sen.,, one of
the most ardent admirers of the sports of the field in that fox hunting
locality. In old Mrs Johnson’s days this inn was noted for furnishing visitors
with what were termed “fat rascals” and tea, a delicious kind of cake stuffed
with currants, and which the present obliging hostess, Mrs Temple, who is an
adept ion the culinary art, can make so as to satisfy
the most fastidious palate.
1786
Their daughter, Elizabeth Andrew (1786
to 1855) was born at Skelton on 8 January 1786.
1788
Their daughter Ann Andrew (1788 to 1835)
was born at Skelton on 19 April 1788.
1791
Their daughter Margaret Andrew (1791 to
1868) was born at Saltburn in 1791.
1794
Their son, John Andrew (1794 to 1855) (Farmer
and Smuggler) was born in Skelton in or about 1794.
1796
Their son, James Andrew (1796 to 1875)(farmer) was born in Skelton on 9 August 1796.
1798
A Land Tax Assessment
for the Township of Brotton shows that his landlord was paying tax: An
Assessment made in pursuance of Parliament passed in the 38th Year of
His Majesty’s Reign, for granting Aid to his Majesty by Land Tax to be raised
in Great Britain, for the Service of the Year 1798 … Proprietor John Wharton
Esq … Occupiers … John Andrew … £20 7s 3d.
1799
Their daughter, Charlotte Andrew (1799
to 1803) was born in Saltburn in or about 1799.
1801
Their daughter Harriet Andrew was born
in Saltburn in about 1801.
1807
John’s daughter, Ann Andrew married
James Taylor of Stockton, at Skelton in 1807.
1811
John’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Taylor
(1811 to about 1835), was born in 1811. Elizabeth Taylor would marry Martin
Farndale (FAR00264) at Skelton
in 1842, seven years after John Andrew’s death. Martin Farndale is the website author’s
second great grandfather, and so John Andrew is his fourth great grandfather.
John Andrew sleeping in his parlour
1817
On 5 June 1817, at a meeting in the
Angel Inn, Loftus John Andrew was elected as the first Master of the newly
formed 'Roxby and Cleveland Hounds'..
From 'The
Cleveland Hounds', by A E Pease: At the Angel Inn at Loftus, on a
summer's afternoon, we may picture John Andrew Snr, Isaac Scarth, Henry Clarke,
Henry Vansittart Esq, Thomas Chaloner Esq and the
other signatories to the rules then drawn up, sitting with their tumblers of
punch, making a treaty. The Hounds were taken to Saltburn, then but a fishing
hamlet on the sea-shore, where, for more than fifty
years, the management was in the hands of the Andrew family. They hunted foxes
in the winter and, with a few of the old Hounds, otters in the summer. A few
years after this the Roxby was dropped from the name of the pack, and they
became the 'Cleveland'.
John Andrew hunted with the Cleveland
Hounds until his death in 1835, assisted by his son, John Andrew Junior, who
took over the hunt when his father died.
1826
The wrecking of the Esk.
The 350 to Whitby Waler, the Esk, was returning
home after a whaling expedition north of Shetland, during which four whales had
been caught. In 1816 the same ship had survived being trapped in ice on a
voyage to Greenland. Her Captain Dunbar passed Hartlepool as a gale started to
drive her towards the shore. The morning of 6 September 1826 was marked by
strong winds, mist and crashing surf. The Esk’s sails
were soon shredded and she became grounded at the low
water mark off Marske on Sea. The crew fired guns and burnt a distress light,
but at dawn, she went to pieces. Within seventeen hours she was a total wreck and her riggings, timbers and cargo came ashore along
miles of coastland. Only three members of the twenty seven
strong crew survived. A memorial service was later held at St Mary’s Church,
Whitby and 3,000 folk attended and took a collection
for the bereaved families.
1827
Ann Harrison, John’s wife died on 22
March 1827 and was buried at Brotton.
The recently made widower, John Andrew
married Margaret Carter, a spinster in South Shields on 2 October 1827.
It has long been believed that, after a
lifetime of dodging the Excise men, John Andrew, Senior, was eventually caught
in 1827 at Hornsea while off-loading an illicit cargo. Alan Ward of Saltburn is
a direct descendant of Andrew and had commented that John would have been 70 by
this time and it was likely that it was, in fact, his son, also called John (1794
to 1855) who was caught in this act of Smuggling. Alan feels that the following
confirms this:
·
A letter from the Customs House, London, dated 20 January
1825, asking the Customs Collector to enquire into the ability of two
men to meet the bail amount of £95 for John Andrew.
·
A letter asking the Collector to take the necessary
measures for the release of John Andrew, "Junior" from York Castle. The
Cleveland Family History journal by John Warwick
Andrew, b 1925, of Oxford, did the original research.
·
An
article in the Northern Echo, dated 28 November
1935, dealing with Sir Alfred Pease's 'Memories of Saltburn': John
Andrew, Junior, had the bad luck to be caught running a cargo ashore at Hornsea
and was fined an enormous sum of £100.000, I believe about 1827, and, of
course, unable to pay a fraction of the fine, was imprisoned in York castle. After
two years of durance there, Henry Vansittart, of Kirkleatham, who had carried
on the hounds during John's absence, was able to secure his release through the
influence of his relative Lord Bexley, who was in the Government. In those days
the discipline for debt was not strict, and Tom Parrington told me that John
Andrew carried on his smuggling by correspondence through agents all the time
he was a prisoner. From his release until his father died in 1835, he seemed to
have been reduced to poverty, for he lived in a small cottage at Boosbeck and only had a grey pony, 15 hands high on which
he hunted hounds twice a week. The pony was "as hard as iron" but had
a temper and would always run away with his Master and was not particular as to
the direction in which he bolted. It was not uncommon to see the gallant grey
tearing across country in quite another direction to that which the hounds were
running. The pony never got a summer rest for then his owner yoked him to a cart and he carted stones, seaweed, or anything else at a
job which earned John a few shillings. After his father's death, Andrews was
Master of the hounds, and his circumstances improved a little as the hunt paid
him a small salary. John Andrew, Junior, died in 1855 and was also buried in
Skelton Church yard.
Some speculate that John Andrew’s hoard
may still be hidden somewhere in Saltburn.
1835
John Andrew died in Saltburn on 14 November
1835. He is buried at All Saints Old Churchyard, Skelton, in the south corner
of the churchyard. (Mon R)
The Andrew family at the White House
continued to prosper under John Andrew, junior's sons, Tom
and George, into the late nineteenth Century. In 1886 their finances allowed
them to make a large loan to John Thomas Wharton of Skelton Castle. The family
fortune seems to have been dissipated by being shared out between George's 11
children and ended in the suicide of one of them in Ruby St, Saltburn.
Word in the Wind, Sea Shanty
by J G Songs about John Andrew.
Watch
the Wall my Darling: The Story of the Smuggler King by Richard Swale is a story
is based loosely on the lives of the author’s great, great, great,
grandfathers, John Andrew and James Law.