'The Scottish Smuggler' is the first book to examine the phenomenon of smuggling in Scotland in its entirety. It embraces the historical imperatives that made smuggling lucrative, particularly during its 18th century 'golden-age', looking at the role of the Act of Union (1707) and Jacobitism in the encouragement and perpetuation of the Scottish smuggling trade.
Contemporary society's attitudes to smuggling are explored. The people who took part in it, their modus operandi and the commodities they smuggles also receive due consideration. A special chapter is devoted to whisky smuggling, which tells the true tale of 'Whisky Galore' and the topic of U.S. Prohibition.
In 'The Scottish Smuggler' Gavin D. Smith uses a mixture of contemporary records, including personal correspondence and material culled from surviving Custom House Letter-books, alongside anecdote, folklore and information from a wide range of published sources to create the most complete picture yet of Scottish smuggling - the facts, the myths and the legend.
Contents:
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. A Short History of Scottish Smuggling
2. Smuggled Goods
3. Whisky Smuggling
4. The West Coast
- Dumfries and Galloway
- Ayrshire and the Clyde
- The North-West and Islands of the West
5. The East Coast
- The Borders, the Forth and Fife
- Perth, Angus, Kincardine and Aberdeen
6. The North and Northern Isles
- The Northern Mainland
- The Orkneys
- Shetland
7. Smuggling in Scottish Literature
8. Scottish Smuggling Today
Bibliography
Index
