New-York tribune., 1903-07-26
AN OLD SMUGGLING VILLAGE.
Little Pedlington Once the Centre of Illegal
Traffic.

Little Pedlington Is of the hundreds Of places
IN England the aspect of which provokes the
stranger TO ask. How does it exist?" says THE
London Globe There is life, much less stir in
II from years end years end may traverse
its surrounding hills and fields for hours without
meeting human being; its few resident gentry are
not Of that new school Of country settlers which is
doing more than anything else TO keep the fire Of
English country life Pickering; the road through 1t
leads from nowhere to nowhere in particular; II
has no staple industry; three cut of four of its in
habitauts would not take work if it was offered
them and the fourth would be mighty particular in
his choice of what he took.
But IT was not ever thus Until well into the nine
teenth century Little PedIington the busy
centre Of a very large and lucrauve-weL, we were
going to say trade but trade implies legality,
we had better call it occupation, for if Little Ped
lington held one thing than another in abom
nation If was that respectabity which is conferred
by loyal adherence TO the laws of the land Briefly
Little Pedlington was the local metropolis Of Snug
Cling It's position scattered about the woodlands
clothing lire of hills which at the time of Caesars
invasion were sea washed cliffs and overlooking an
expanse Of dreary, trackless marsh land favored IL
Boats landed their tubs the marsh edge, strings
of horses carried them along the devious marsh
WAYS to the Of the hills up through the woods
bv deep sunk tracks still known the 'keg ways"
TO Little Pedlington, and thence to the markets or
the country as opportunity offered once in the
! Pedlington woodland and they were as safe and
remote as anywhere in the world. The Inhabitants
/ of our neighborhood, to-day not remarkable for
ef,eon and expansiveness, then formed practically
a nation by themselves using their own dialect ana
cant never marrying out Of the world OF the marsh
observing their own manners and customs, not
merely distrustfun OF strangers. but absolutely
hostile to them, and speaking OF places not twenty
miles of as being 'over in England II was a
roaring business they carried on in every sense OF
ouauGca tions not far removed from the heroic and
withaI saturated with the charm Whleh ever AZ
peas certain natures with lrFesist!D4 Io
Charm of illegality. 1t desperate occupatlon
and accordingly as its rewards were greas 80 %e5s
its punishments heavy very shOL i, a.at "a reI5
rneted the smusger. justice 10 MN was & y h
tempered with mercy Judges "f1e La9' 5 mai
Ire constant process of retaliation gTadu@a "a II MS
formed a communiIy OF S;[pae Sang of degpe ate
ru1ians who stuck at no crime; anu NJ , tI,iIs
brought ABOUT 1neir % eW tbe1 behaVior Elsewhere
smuggling died natural deatn SIi ~ rs
S2Iv the memories remain of Little PedHngtops
golden age but they are many ana sLIo", - o-nS
spoye ali others There was plenty Of sharp work
up the Carter Bar n NortnIi iiS o S @ I of
the Shores Of East Anglia, Of Dorset ana Devon, Is
vivid striking the smuggIers o5 ne ~ blIf ne
snurgers Of the Pedlington district outd'o an ne
keenest riding GTeS eteant with an eye to advance
1ne1+ coiiId net do better than apply tor one o.
those lone dreary. storm swept posts on On the cage
spectacle spot in wild world oI oarlLs oars cce tbcee
davs throughout its length and breath there are are
probably not score Of oLildtngs WhTh naoe ~ ca
put gR T1e t4ae els s ara imrenerab: The od keg
ways siIl run deeply oetTeen osq niE ana bIIe and
eoid drapery OF hyacinths and pTlIlIoses, a.
Of yoIe the great DapS6 rond nd, and the three or
Scnr old towns which dot II have been aN6kSl rec
from me-, titl5 Observation-Disclosures is stl soil
10 and 20 wander Of its very few main Foads
ms2IS % pen Re have the people moved sufficiently with
tbs times 70 adapt their homes to naoossn require