Beccles, a fascinating historic town, is today largely known visited for its position on the southern end of the Broads National Park and its wonderful ancient buildings and attractive river walks, but the very fact that the river runs through the centre of the town must have made it an ideal dropping off / collection point for contraband.

Below is an extract from Smuggling in the British Isles: a History by Richard Platt For more detail visit his website www.smuggling.co.uk

The Landlord of the Queen's Head at Blyford (see Smuggling on the Blyth Estuary) in the mid 18th century was John Key, and as he became more and more deeply involved in the smuggling trade so his business as a publican must have looked increasingly like small beer. Eventually he gave up the licensed trade altogether, moving to Beccles where he took a house at Swines Green on Smuggler's Lane near St Anne's Road, 'Where five crossways meet'. The house was adjacent to a large barn, and both buildings had numerous places for hiding contraband. The buildings were standing in 1931, but described as being in dilapidated condition. Smugglers' Lane was an artery along which contraband moved into the town from the coast and from landing points at Barnby and Worlingham on the River Waveney — and perhaps Key took a fancy to the house when helping to move cargoes landed at Dunwich. Contraband also came in along the road from Covehithe, and possibly Benacre, which was a favourite landing spot for the Hadleigh gang.

Key played a prominent part in Beccles smuggling, and left behind a number of anecdotes. in one of them revenue officers met up with Key at Brampton Church six mile from his home, as he was returning from a run. Key spurred his horse onward, but near the Duke of Malborough Inn, Weston, one of the officers shot John's horse (which he had borrowed for the occasion) from under him. Key completed the journey on foot, arriving just before the King's men. To his delight, he found a horse very similar to the one he'd been riding grazing contentedly near his home, so he hurriedly locked it into the stable, and donned his nightclothes on top of his working garments. When he heard the inevitable knock on the door, he was able to lean out the window and shout innocently enough 'Wha' d' ye want?'. When the revenue men replied 'where's your horse...didn't we shoot him less than half an hour ago?' John directed them to the stable, thus providing himself with an apparently waterproof alibi.
Despite his ingenuity (or perhaps because of it) Key's stay in Beccles ended badly: for in 1745, smugglers dragged him from his bed, believing that he had informed on them. They stripped and beat him, then tied him naked to a horse and rode off. A reward of £50 for information elicited no response, and the man was never seen again.[[ad]]
Smugglers' Lane is now called Wash Lane, and leads from 'Swine's Green to the Ellough Estate, and...on past Castle Farm'. Codlins or Codling Wood in Beccles, between Ellough Road and Worlingham boundary was once a dump for contraband.

Click here for an introduction to smuggling in Suffolk.