Smuggling Misadventures
at 6 o’clock on Monday morning, January the 6th, Mr. Matthew, assistant to surgeon Ticehurst, was called to the eastern side of the Ecclesbourne station, where he found John Tilden lying on a ledge of the cliff about 60 feet above the level of the beach. On this ledge were 15 tubs of spirits, and on the beach below were 43 more. Two of those on the ledge were broken. Tilden was greatly injured through falling from the cliff above. His head was much battered, his body was bruised, and the upper part of his dress was soaked in blood. The other part of his dress was saturated with rain, he having lain there about four hours. He was cold and insensible. Mr. Matthew had him removed to the Coastguard station, and afterwards to the Infirmary. The coastguards knew nothing of the occurrence until then, after which they held him in custody, and placed a sentinel over him while he remained at the Infirmary. The sufferer was very reserved and displayed no willingness to commit himself. On the morning of the occurrence two men came ashore at Hastings, as they said, for some beef, and after landing, they quickly decamped, leaving their nameless punt in the hands of the coastguards, who also took care to secure the tubs of spirits at Ecclesbourne. Tilden was well known in the town as foreman to a builder. The place chosen for this “derricking” mode of smuggling was a very dangerous one, the cliff being of great height. After undergoing magisterial examination, four days later, he was conveyed to the gaol. On the 17th he was charged before the County Bench with aiding and abetting in the landing of 175 gallons of brandy, to which he had made himself liable to forfeit £100. He pleaded guilty, by Mr. Langham’s advice, and a promise was given him that the Board would deal leniently with his case. John Tilden recovered, but although he lived for 37 years after the event, he was never quite the same man. He was liberated from gaol on the 7th of February, and again taken to the Infirmary, by virtue of a warrant signed by two Commissioners of Customs, and was thus released both from the fine of £100 and the imprisonment in default. A memorial had been sent to the Board on his behalf, containing among other names, some of those of magistrates. He died on the 13th of July, 1888, at the age of 87 years.
As suggestive of another unsuccessful or only partially successful smuggling venture, on the 16th of January 15 tubs of spirits were dug out of the sands near the Winchelsea coastguard station, and ten more soon afterwards.
A fortnight later, a leaky boat, 16 feet long, was found at the water’s edge on the sands opposite to Carlisle parade, and judged to have been used in some smuggling transaction — probably in connection with the tubs found near Winchelsea.
