Welcome to our Combe Martin History Blog 

Discover Combe Martin’s Past Through Our Blogs

Welcome to the Combe Martin Village History Project’s collection of in‑depth history blogs, where we explore the people, places, and events that shaped our North Devon parish.

From the dramatic Battle of Cynwit – Vikings vs. West Saxons (878 AD), to the daring exploits in Smuggling around Combe Martin and the Bristol Channel. Each article is built on meticulous research from archival records, maps, and oral histories.

Delve into our industrial heritage with Combe Martin: Six Centuries of Silver Mining, uncover local craftsmanship behind Shipbuilding in the 19th Century (Dovell, Partridge & Co.). Or step into wartime life in Combe Martin During World War 2.

We also celebrate the traditions and landmarks that make our village unique, from the Hunting the Earl of ’Rone Festival to the Famous Pack o’ Cards Inn (1690).

Whether you’re a local resident, a visitor, or a history enthusiast, our blogs offer an accessible, engaging way to experience Combe Martin’s rich past. Start exploring below and uncover the stories from our “little parish with a big story”.

About the Project

This Combe Martin Village History Project was launched in 2023, as a response to the loss of many of the village’s historians and senior locals known as 'Shammickites'.

With their passing, much of Combe Martin’s rich oral tradition and local knowledge risked being forgotten. To preserve this heritage, the project began digitising historical records, and collecting materials from a wide range of sources.

Records include customs logs, court documents, parish records, old maps, and photographs, as well as antique topographies, academic studies, and Combe Martin history books.

Volunteers also conducted site visits to historic locations, and cross-referenced oral histories with documented evidence. Combe Martin Museum proved an invaluable treasure trove, and our volunteers built the museum's new modern and accessible website.

Our voluntary team is currently developing a Glossary of Combe Martin, which acts as a quick-reference guide, helping readers understand terms like adits, Bideford Black, Shammickite, or Earl of Rone without needing to search through multiple articles.

The result is a growing digital archive that makes Combe Martin’s history accessible to everyone — from researchers and visitors to local residents.

Featured Blog Post: September 09, 2025

Brandy for the Parson, ’Baccy for the Clerk: Smuggling in Combe Martin

Step into the shadows of history, where moonlit coves whispered secrets and the sea carried more than just fish.

Combe Martin, North Devon, is known today for its peaceful charm and dramatic cliffs. Yet two centuries ago it was a different story.

Besides veins of silver ore, beneath the surface of this sleepy village lay a thriving underground smugglers' world.

Barrels rolled ashore under cover of darkness, secret tunnels and sunken lanes echoed with whispered deals.

Free-traders defied the Crown to become legends.

This isn’t just legend or myth—it’s a tapestry woven from archival records, folklore, and the people in a coastal town who kept their secrets well.

We didn’t just write our article on smuggling—we unearthed it.

The Combe Martin Village History Project spent months combing through customs logs, court records, local memoirs, and academic studies.

We bring you stories as rich as the illict spirits that once sloshed in hidden casks.

Blog Date: 08 September, 2025

The Golden Age of Smuggling

Picture the 18th century: Britain’s taxes on imported goods were sky-high.

Tea, tobacco, spirits—luxuries for some, necessities for many—were priced out of reach.

So the people of North Devon took matters into their own hands.

Combe Martin’s rugged coastline was a smuggler’s playground.

Hidden beaches, tidal caves, and winding paths made it nearly impossible for customs officers to keep up.

From Lundy Island to Watermouth Cove, the Bristol Channel became a highway for contraband.

In 1786, at Heddon’s Mouth just a few miles from Combe Martin, customs men seized 20 barrels of spirits and 13 bales of tobacco.

Yet that was a rare win, because most nights the smugglers won.

Caves, Kilns, and Clever Caches

The ingenuity of these free-traders was something to behold:

• Caves at Lester Point and Samson’s Bay: Accessible only at low tide, perfect for stashing goods.

• Napps Quarry tunnels: Discovered in the early 1900s, likely used for hiding contraband.

• Lime kilns and graveyard tombs: Yes, even the dead played host to smuggled goods.

• Floating barrels in rock pools: Hidden in plain sight, waiting for the right tide.

And let’s not forget the millers who weren’t just grinding grain for communities—they were part of the local network of trade, gossip, and sometimes smuggling.

Millers were trusted intermediaries who could quietly move goods under the radar, especially in tight-knit communities like Combe Martin.

As George Long wrote in The Mills of Man (1931), millers were key players—hiding goods beneath sacks of flour, passing them off to customers with a wink and a nod.

Folk Heroes or Criminals?

To the Crown, smugglers or freetraders were lawbreakers. To the locals, they were lifelines.

Take John Dovell of Combe Martin. In 1825, he was fined for hiding smuggled goods—a year’s wages gone in a flash.

John Dovell wasn’t just a smuggler; he was a wealthy and respected Combe Martin businessman and entrepreneur. A shipbuilder, and a pillar of the community.

John's grave and monument can be found on the north side of St. Peter ad Vincula Church graveyard.

It's a quiet yet fitting reminder of a man who walked both sides of the law.

Rudyard Kipling captured the mood best in A Smuggler’s Song:

“Watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by.”

Published in 1906 as part of Kipling's story collection Puck of Pook’s Hill.

How We Researched Local Smuggling History

This isn’t folklore dressed up as fact. It’s a comprehensive study built from:

• Customs records and court documents: Including the 1825 prosecution of Dovell and Low.

• Academic sources: Bree Rosenberger, Richard Platt, and Robert Hesketh among others.

• Local histories and oral tradition: Stories passed down, cross-checked, and preserved.

• Site visits and geographic mapping: We walked the paths, studied the caves, and traced the routes.

Every detail has been verified, every tale grounded in evidence. 

The Decline of Smuggling

By the mid-19th century, the tide turned. Tax reforms like the Commutation Act of 1784 made legal imports cheaper.

The risk no longer matched the reward. The smugglers faded into legend—but their footprints remain.

Walk the cliffs. Peer into the caves. You’re not just sightseeing—you’re tracing the echoes of a world that once thrived in the shadows.

Why This Story Still Echoes

Smuggling wasn’t just a crime—it was a culture. It shaped Combe Martin’s economy, its identity, and its folklore. By telling this story, we’re not just preserving the past—we’re breathing life into it.

For full references and further reading, visit the Combe Martin Village History Project : Smuggling archive↗

Owlers of North Devon: Smugglers in the Shadows

During the 18th and early 19th centuries, North Devon’s rugged coastline became a haven for Owlers—local smugglers who trafficked sheep, wool, brandy, tobacco, and other contraband.

The term “Owler” originally referred to a 'Night Owl' who illegally exported sheep, and English wool, to France. Yet Owling evolved to encompass broader smuggling activities. 

France and the Low Countries had advanced weaving industries that craved English fleece. English Laws dating back to 1367 banned wool exports, to protect domestic manufacturers.

England had an abundance of wool but a struggling textile industry. English wool was one of the most valuable commodities in Europe, especially prized by textile manufacturers in France and the Low Countries.

Instead of encouraging trade, the British government imposed strict export bans to protect its fledgling domestic textile industry. That’s where the Owlers came in. 

In this lucrative Black Market: Owlers, working under cover of darkness, could earn far more selling wool illegally to French merchants than through legal domestic channels.

Key features of Owler activity in North Devon:

Coastal Villages as Hubs: Places like Combe Martin, Ilfracombe, and Clovelly were ideal for smuggling due to their hidden coves and tight-knit communities.

• Night Operations: Owlers often moved goods under moonlight, using small boats and secret paths to avoid customs officers.

• Community Involvement: Smuggling was rarely a solo affair. Entire villages could be complicit, with local inns and farms serving as stash points.

• Conflict with Authorities: The rise of the Coastguard in the early 19th century led to dramatic chases and occasional shootouts along the cliffs and beaches.

Owling wasn’t just about profit—it was also a form of resistance against high taxes and trade restrictions.

Reference: 

Raven, Matt (2022). "Wool smuggling from England's eastern seaboard, c. 1337–45: An illicit economy in the late Middle Ages". The Economic History Review. 75 (4): 1182–1213. doi:10.1111/ehr.13141. ISSN 1468-0289.

In many ways, these smugglers became folk heroes, their exploits whispered in taverns and passed down through generations.