Hannibal Richards
b. 1764 April 6 Gunwallo (alias Winnington), Cornwall, England (United Kingdom)
d. 1849 July 29 aged 85 Ilfracombe, Devon, England (United Kingdom)
Burried Ilfracombe, Devon, England
Parents Hannibal Richards and Christian Dale
Married Jane Gammon
Children Jane Bray, Martin Richards and James Richards
Hannibal Richards moved to north Devon from Morwenstow, in Cornwall, in 1789, where he had been a member of the notorius gang of smugglers called the Cruel Coppinger's gang. He lived on a farm called The Gwythers, in Lee, a small village situated in a valley which meets the sea in a secluded, rocky cove. There he married Jane Gammon, who was born in the village. He returned to his infamous old ways, and, despite being well known to the authorities, and following a number of close shaves, he managed to evade conviction. He eventually retired after a raid which resulted in the capture of the other members of his gang. The inscription on his headstone reads:
IN MEMORY of HANIBAL RICHARDS who departed this life July 23 1849 aged 85 years
ALSO
JANE RICHARDS The Wife of the Above Who died June The.13.1875 Aged 101 Years
ALSO OF JANE BRAY Daughter of the above
HANIBAL RICHARDS who died January 25 1897, Aged 100 Years & 6 Months
Jane Bray, Jane Richards, Hannibal Richards Grave Stone.
Burial plot CC14, Holy Trinity Parish Churchyard, Ilfracombe, Devon, England.
During the 18th and early 19th centuries smuggling was carried on extensively along these coasts and Lee was an ideal location. Its sheltered cove is accessible only through a small channel between rugged rocks, while the valley itself is cut off from the rest of the world by steep hills, honeycombed with a network of paths leading to isolated farms.
One of the most notorious smugglers known to have operated from Lee was Hannibal Richards. Six foot tall, with long black hair, he and his five-foot wife moved here in 1789 from Morwenstow in Cornwall, where he had been one of the Cruel Coppinger’s gang of smugglers.
Hannibal Richards lived at The Gwythers, then a farm, but soon returned to his old ways. He was well-known to the Collector and his name appears in, several reports but he seems never to have been convicted. Nevertheless he had several close shaves with the coastguard and revenue. After a raid in which he was the only one of his gang to escape he decided to retire. He died in 1849 at the age of 85. He and other members of his family are buried in the churchyard at Ilfracombe.
Smuggled goods were carried into the interior, stored in outhouses or cellars. Records from the late 18th and early 19th centuries refer to landings of brandy and gin, red Portugal wine, salt, tea and even playing cards. Many people saw smuggling as a way of making life more comfortable under the extremely harsh laws of the time and often the whole community would be involved, but it was often a far more brutal business than today’s romantic images suggest.
You can find this information at https://leebay.co.uk/smugglers-path/
Richards Tree
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