HER MAJESTY'S BROAD R., DAWLISH, 1843.

In the mad March days of 1843 another ambitious smuggling endeavour came to light in the neighbourhood of Dawlish

 "On Saturday morning the wind was very fresh from the eastward, and the tides unusually high - this untoward circumstance caused part of a cargo of contraband spirits, which had been sunk, to wash ashore, which as matter of course was discovered by the coast guard service on duty, which immediately made them on the alert, and in the course of the day and the succeeding day and night several kegs washed ashore, and as soon as the storm abated the service put off in their boat in quest of the remainder of the booty, which they very soon got scent of, being a number of kegs lashed together into what is called a raft, but from its being entangled in the rocks they were unable to take it up.

However, they have taken every precaution to secure it, by setting a buoy over it, bearing her Majesty's broad R, and in a few days the whole of this valuable cargo, which is a very serious loss no doubt to the speculators engaged in it, will be landed and conveyed to her Majesty's stores in Exeter, much to the annoyance of the would-be free traders, and very little to the profit of the men in the preventive service."

I have written of Preventive Officers using the 'broad arrow' to designate confiscated goods but this time it is the "broad R."  perhaps beneath the crown like in the royal cipher, painted on a buoy over a 'raft' of moonshine brandy.

I could not find many references to this broad R. but it apparently was to be found everywhere. I found this snippet from Tom Paine:   "Is not the G.R. or the broad R. stampt on every thing?  Even the shoes, the gloves, and the hats which we wear, are enriched with the impression and all our candles blaze a burnt offering."

The last few words of this report pointing out the annoyance of the "free traders" and the "very little to the profit"  of the preventive service seem to me to suggest the columnist, like so many people, had a secret sympathy with the smugglers.  I, however, am sure the preventives were upright men,  pleased and proud of themselves for having thwarted the "free trade" and that they rejoiced to deliver so much brandy into store at Exeter.  Perhaps, at least one keg stayed in Dawlish:  - broached by accident?

Source: The Western Times, 4th March,  1843