The Hawkhurst Gang
Hawkhurst, Kent
The Hawkhurst Gang ran tea and brandy across Kent and Sussex in the 1740s. In 1747 they broke into the Poole Custom House to take back a seized cargo of tea.
Read the full story, see it on the map, get directions and find what else is nearby in the free Hidden Britain Atlas map.
- When
- 1740s
- Where
- 51.0470, 0.5090
- Group
- Pirates
Visiting
Hawkhurst is a Wealden village; the Royal Oak pub was their haunt.

Blood and Gold
Sixteen true stories of mutiny, mercy, treasure and the gallows from the Golden Age of Piracy: Henry Every, Bartholomew “Black Bart” Roberts, Edward England, Howell Davis, Christopher Moody, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Charles Vane, Benjamin Hornigold, Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet, Israel Hands, Calico Jack, Edward Low, Captain William Kidd and Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy. Where the record is uncertain, the book says so.
Nearby mysteries
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- Mad Jack Fuller's PyramidMysterious grave · Brightling, East Sussex · 8 miles away
- The Sugar LoafTower or folly · Brightling, East Sussex · 9 miles away
- Battle AbbeyCastle or abbey · Battle, East Sussex · 9 miles away
- Jack Cade's RebellionPlot · Cade Street, near Heathfield, East Sussex · 12 miles away
- The Mermaid InnPirate · Rye, East Sussex · 12 miles away