The Eighteenth Century Customs Officer

[Peter]

…The life of the preventive officer was hard. By day and often by night he was expected to make his rounds in all kinds of weather, and often in circumstances of grave danger. Well might such officers be built of “sterner stuff”; well might they have answered to the qualifications recommended by the Weymouth collector in 1717 “ wee are humbly of the opinion that the persons imployed in this service be men that are hardy, unmarryed and are well acquainted with the country soe that they maynt have the clogg of a family and may be capable from their acquaintance to cultivate a friendship with the country people to have their assistance on occasion without which the service will not be soe well performed.”….

…Thus it happened that men utterly ignorant of the complicated accounts that had to be kept, and indifferent to the responsibilities attached to the office, were frequently appointed to the most important places in the customs. In 1782 Commissioner Musgrave deplored the fact that of late years collectors in general had been appointed “from Country Fox-Hunters, Bankrupt Merchants, & Officers of the Army & Navy – without the least previous knowledge of the Business of the Revenue and too late in Life to acquire it – so that they are totally unfit to keep good order in the port or to be the representatives of the Board which they are required to be in many respects.”….

…Officers were not of the highest character. Probably many of them would fit the description of a seventy-eight year old Dunbar man who was “Infirm but capable. Likes his cups and a wench.” Numerous are the reprimands or penalties for addiction to liquor, though from this it must not be supposed that such irregularity was peculiar to the customs staff. In a letter from a collector to an inferior officer, he wrote: “ that he was not sober for two days when on duty.”….

…A proclamation early issued “for preventing and punishing immorality and prophaneness” was directed in 1726 to be fixed “in some publick and convenient place” in one of the vessels, and the commander was instructed not only to “take care for avoiding all lewdness disorderly practices, prophaneness and other imoralties amongst the Company under your authority but by your own example excite and stir them up to the practice of religion and virtue.”….

…Wow betide the customs officer who got caught by smugglers: Thus in 1721 a certain customs officer, captured by brandy smugglers, was obliged to drink brandy as long as he was able. Then when he was “dead drunk” the smugglers poured brandy down him with a funnel to the amount of “two Quarts and a Pint,” tied him on a horse and let him go….

Ref: Elizabeth Hoon, The Organization of the English Customs System, 1696-1786, ( David & Charles, 1968)

[PMarione]

Great quote, Peter