The Customs Men of Cornwall

1705 & 1779

The “Parliamentary Register” Vol. XVI was published in London in 1780 and contains an account of the most interesting speeches and motions made in the British parliament in that session

The Parliamentary Register;

History of the Proceedings

and

Debates of the House of Commons;

During the Sixth Session

Of the

Fourteenth Parliament

Great Briton

Vol. XVI

On February the 1^st1780, The following was said in the House of Commons:

“Sir Grey Cooper: delivered a number of papers, in pursuance of an address of the late session, which he said, was for an account of all places which existed in January 1705, and 1779, respectively. So far as it depended on the treasury, the address had been complied with, by that, and all the subordinate boards; but as to the exchequer, several applications had been made, both to the auditor of the imprest and receipt, but there being 150 books to examine, the necessary information had not been yet obtained, according, to the idea of the hounrable baronet who made the motion, but whom he did not see in his place. At all events, according to the wording of the address, he did not see how it could be better complied with.”

Part One: On page 355 there begins an account of the numbers and Names of the Customs, with their Salaries as they stood on the 5^th day of January, 1779. The list also distinguishes the time when any increase in the numbers of Officers or their salary was first made. The list takes up some 138 pages and covers the whole country. My interest for this web site was purely Cornwall so I have only extracted those based in Cornwall plus personnel based in Plymouth who also covered parts of Cornwall.

Plymouth

*Office*	*Officers Name*	*Salary*
Collector *	*Henry Tolcher* *For himself and clerk*	*£120*
Customer *	*Bryan Cook dorm. warrant*	*13s 4d*
*His Deputy*	*William Deane*	*----*
Comptroller *	*George Marshall* *Dorm. warrant*	*£10* *16s 8d*
*His deputy*	*Roger Widger*	*---*
Land Surveyor *	*Thomas Bligh Darracot*	*£80*
*4 Land Waiters*	*Andew Hill* *John Vosper* *Joseph Lawrence* *John Tolcher*	*£40 each*
*Patent Sercher*	*Sanuel Errys* *Dorm warrant*	*£30*
*His Deputy*	*William Burdwood*	*---*
Coast Surveyor *	*John Ellis Alford*	*£30*
Warehouse Keeper *	*William Hume*	*£30*
Weighing Porter *	*Vacant*	*---*
2 Tide Surveyors *	*Joseph Tolcher* *William Burdwood*	*£60* *£50*
4 Tidesmen & Boatmen *	*Phillip Couch* *John Burrow* *John Prowse* *John Roberts* *More to Burrow’s for acting as fitter in the boat “Orreston”*	*£30 each* *£30*
*22 ditto*	*Nathaniel Grigg* *John Trenow* *George Jellard* *John Ulber* *William Beard* *Francis Hatch* *Andrew Phillips* *John Edwain* *Thomas Lovell* *Richard Hinkson* *Henry Bullin* *Thomas Geach* *Richard Freeman* *Nicholas Nepean* *William Eveleigh* *Thomas Pollard* *Joseph Sharpham* *William Bennet* *Richard Berkeley* *John Pearse* *David Trengoweth* *William Day*	*£30 each*
*8 Tidesmen & Coal Meters*	*Nicholas Langsford* *Andrew Colby* *Nathaniel Deeble* *William Pippett* *William Nicholson* *Stephen Sambs* *Robert Rogers* *Thomas Topham*	*£35 each*
11 Boatmen *	*John Hey* *Francis Bligh* *John Holliday* *Francis Pollard* *Peter Tinney Lawrence Bray* *William Lane* *Charles Netherton* *John Hoskin* *John Bird* *John Nott*	*£5 each*
Riding Officer to guard the coast westward towards Looe *	*John Martin*	*£35*

* = as in 1705

Saltash.

Riding Officer from Saltash to Launceston and from thence to Tavistock. *

John Blight

£35

* = as in 1705

Stonehouse

Waiter and Searcher ***

John Goodall

£30

Yalm River

2 Boatmen *

William Bezzle

Benjamin Kemp

£30 each

* = as in 1705

Wilcove

2 Boatmen *

Edward Thomas

John Mallett

£30 each

* = as in 1705

Arm River

Sitter per warrant **	George Tolcher	£35
4 Boatmen **	Robert Holyday John Kemp Bartholomew Doughty John Blewitt	£30 each

** = as per a warrant, Oct. 1717
*** = as per a warrant, in 1750

Saint Germain’s River

Chief boatman *	Peter Richards	£30
2 Boatmen *	John Trowte Vacant	£25 each

* = as per a warrant, June 9^th 1757.

“The Ranger” Cutter

To cruise into Torbay, round the Start to Lizard and Mounts Bay. *

Commander	Thomas Cassell
Mate	Nathaniel Lane
18 Marines		£15 each
A Boy		£8

= per warrant 1670.

Looe

Collector *	John Hoskins	£60
Deputy Costomer	John Hoskins	£60
Deputy Comptroller	Richard Puddicombe more by addition	£10 £20
Waiter & Deputy Searcher *	Stephen Puddicombe	£40
Deputy Searcher	vacant	£
2 Tidesmen & Boatmen	Joseph Soady John Soady	£25 each

* = as in 1705

West Looe

Surveyor, Waiter & Searcher *	William Dyer more by addition	£50 £10
Additional Waiter & Searcher **	Robert Johns – for himself & horse	£50

* = as per 1705
** = as per a warrant May 10^th 1721

Paul Pero (Polperro)

Riding officer between Looe and Fowey. *	Thomas Pincet more to keep a horse.	£25 £10
2 Boatmen ***	Abraham Bosavern, William Reynolds to maintain a boat at Fowey,	£25 each

* = as per 1705
*** = as per a warrant Aug. 18^th 1717

Fowey

Collector ***	John Courts	£60
Deputy Customer	John Courts	-
Deputy Comptroller	John Lewis	-
Surveyor, Waiter & Searcher *	William Cotton	£50
Deputy Searcher & Land waiter *	Walter Polgrean, to act for the searchers fees, and from the King	£30
5 Tidesmen and boatmen **	Robert Rundle John Wolman Thomas Courts John Davis Robert Parkers Flamank	£30 each
2 Riding Officers