William Owen, eighteenth-century Welsh smuggler

William Owen’s autobiography, NLW MS 21834B

Contents of the manuscript:

  1. A True Authentic Account of the Life of Captain William Owen (pp.1-113)
  2. The Character and Behaviour of Captain William Owen (pp.114-118)
  3. Proceedings on the King's Commission of the Peace, Oyer and Terminer and Goal Delivery held at Carmarthen (pp.119-60)

Notes: The final page certifies that that the whole manuscript is 'genuine and authentic' and has been 'examined' by Owen himself; signed by Owen, and dated 24 April 1747, and witnessed by John Davies, minister (p.161). Mr Daniel James (mentioned in the full title) is the Carmarthenshire county gaoler.

Summary of the 'authentic account' of the life of William Owen

Early life; the making of a seaman

(pp.1-7)

William Owen was born in the parish of Nevern, Pembrokeshire [in 1717], 'of a very honest and creditable family, his father being looked upon as the most substantial farmer in the said parish'; an only son and great favourite of both parents; received 'the best education that country could afford'. As Owen had 'no taste to the farming business', his father proposed either a university education to be a clergyman, or apprenticeship to an attorney. But Owen rejected these 'and often told his father he was for the sea'; but his father refused to consider this. However, Owen resolved the matter by running away to Haverfordwest and joining a small vessel in the 'Bristol trade'. But he soon tired of this, for he was made to do chores and sometimes was beaten; he left, 'thinking himself too much of a gentleman to put up with such usage'.

He returned to his father, who 'received him with great joy' and put him to hard work on the farm; Owen hankered for more elevated work as farm steward in charge of the servants, 'being a very hot proud spirit': he left again for another ship, and 'his father finding his son gone a second time, he lamented greatly for putting him to work'. After a while, Owen came home again, and this time his parents persuaded him to stay by buying him a small vessel of his own. However, not for the last time, 'he betook himself to debauchery' with a servant maid, and so upset his father that he took the ship away again (At this point Owen was 18 years old). 'Out of revenge' and because 'her friends promised to buy him a vessel', Owen married the maid 'but he soon found his mistake, for he had no fortune with her'. Fortunately, his father relented at this and gave him back the ship as well as some money, and he continued trading for a year.

The smuggling begins, with adventures further abroad

(pp.8-38)

Then Owen undertook his first smuggling expedition to the Isle of Man. It was a disaster: customs seized the vessel on his return. ('By this time his wife had bore him a daughter, those misfortunes happening, he reflected for marrying so soon.') Finally he decided 'to go abroad in order to seek new adventures' - as second mate on a ship called the Joy bound for the West Indies. Somehow, during the voyage, he quarrelled with the captain, who struck him, and on arrival in Barbados, Owen 'came to the Captain and offered him a glove' and demanded satisfaction on land the following morning. Then he left the ship. The next morning, when he saw the captain coming, Owen at once began to strip off for a duel - until he realised that the captain was accompanied by constables coming to arrest him for leaving the ship. Owen quickly scarpered.

Then he joined a ship called the Terrible as mate, for 'clandestant' trade on the Spanish Main, for which the ship was well armed and manned. (It is now the year 1736.) Owen busied himself creating contraptions for the ship, using casks filled with powder which would blow up any enemy trying to board the ship. But the captain of the ship was unimpressed and ordered him to stop. At this, Owen turned to the merchants on board the ship for support; they rewarded Owen with a negro boy, and 'severely reprimanded the captain for being backward in his duty, as they might face an enemy'. As indeed they soon did, two Spanish ships bearing down on them.

The captain 'being of a cowardly nature' wanted to run to the nearest settlement on the mainland. Owen unsurprisingly object, firstly because such a move 'did not consist with honour and glory' and secondly because the merchants would be obliged to pay duties and lose most of their profits. So, Owen forced a 'consul of war' and had it put to an officers' vote. Several of the officers were Owen's own countrymen; all were for fighting but the cowardly captain, who finally agreed to engage with the rest. After a hard fight (in which he successfully employed his explosive casks, and at least presents himself as the leading light in their battle tactics), they defeated the Spanish ships, and limped back to Barbados, where Owen was treated like 'a little prince'. This was followed by more similar voyages, battles and conquests (including his conquest, naturally, of all his neighbours in Barbados... and every available local woman)

However, an encounter with a British man-o-war was finally his undoing, forcing him to surrender. Fortunately, though the the captain of the ship took a liking to him as a 'brave young fellow' and appointed him a midshipman; and he served there for twenty months. After receiving a letter from his father, though, Owen began to feel homesick, and forged a letter with news of a legacy to trick the captain in allowing him to go home. So after more than 3 years' absence, he returned to his family and friends in south Wales.

Yet again, his father helped him to buy another ship and he began trading again. He was successful in other businesses, curing herrings and malting in Cardigan. But his marriage was not succeeding; his wife confessed that she had committed adultery. So he returned to 'debauchery' again, including an affair with a woman he met in Ireland while trading there. His luck with women was not improving, this woman, whom he had thought a 'virtuous virgin' (and who had taken considerable persuasion to seduce), turned out to be the mistress of a lord who was away in London. Owen was furious and left her. But at least his business prospered; he soon after bought himself a bigger ship and 'then cut a great figure in the world, and was worth a large sum of money, being mighty well respected by gentlemen and others whom he had any dealing with'.

Many successes in smuggling, and more battles closer to home

(pp.38-85)

Owen then 'began to follow the smuggling trade with great conduct and success'. However, on one occasion loading corn at Cardigan his ship was assaulted by 'a mob' of 80+ persons, (he claims they were 'put on' by an enemy, but it sounds like a traditional food riot opposing the export of corn, and apparently this occurred in March 1741 - the year after terrible food shortages had provoked such riots across England and Wales). Owen (naturally) confronted and defeated them, even though he was vastly outnumbered.

Now he got himself a much grander and 'warlike' ship. But before he went off on another expedition, he had another opportunity to show his valour and military prowess closer to home. The Johnes family of Aber-mad had quarrelled with a friend of Owen's, one Mr Thomas Parry, 'he had disobliged these persons of Abermade by demanding his own: for that reason they were determined to do him some mischief, wheresoever they could find him'. Owen resolved to help his friend; but the Johneses were always armed, with a band of forty supporters, and even had cannon mounted on top of their mansion. So a full-scale assault was required; and 'several gentlemen in Pembrokeshire, as well as Cardiganshire, rose men to go to Mr Parry's assistance and nominated Owen their general'.

Owen led his troops to Aber-mad; but on sight of the well-manned and armed house, his men 'began most of them to tremble'. Owen was as ever undaunted and after some stirring speeches led them towards the house. However, when the defenders started to fire on them, most 'began to run away' until he had only 18 left, out of which he nominated some as officers, and then 'General' Owen made another speech to them: 'Gentlemen we are come here to make a conquest over a parcel of lawless persons; who disturb the peace of our country, especially of our friend Mr Thomas Parry, whose life they have so often threatened, these people is disagreeable both to God and you my worthy fellows, who I know has honour and bravery in you, therefore, let us with true courage and resolution attack them, let every man act in his respective station, and mind to observe the word of command, so God bless our undertaking.'

Then they opened the siege, which lasted almost 12 hours, with most of the attackers wounded. Then Owen came up with one of his stratagems: to set a cask of gunpowder and fire and run it under the balcony of the house where it blew up 'and did great damage' so that those in the house surrendered. (Owen was offered 'a considerable sum of money' for his exploits, 'but his pride was so great, that he asked them if they took him to be a Swiss' (ie, a mercenary).

This was followed by a series of smuggling trips around Ireland, the Isle of Man, northern England and Wales, with plenty of incident: encounters with customs officers, storms, disguises, more storms and more customs officers (though during one stay in Cardigan, customs officers actually asked him for help in catching some salt smugglers!). By way of variety, on the Isle of Man he met a beautiful young woman with whom he fell in love. He was entirely estranged from his wife, and decided to marry this young woman and go abroad to live. But then his 'business' took a turn for the worse, as, for once, the customs officers got the better of him and seized his ship and all its cargo; he lost almost everything he had. Still, at least his young woman finally agreed for them to 'pass' as man and wife and live together. And Owen managed to raise some more money and start voyaging again.

Disasters - and triumph

(pp.86-104)

But things were about to get much worse. In spring 1744, he took a smuggling expedition to south Wales. At Cardigan Bay, the customs were waiting for him, but he saw them off and, by another cunning ploy, he managed to unload his cargo virtually under their noses. This provoked a full-scale assault against his ship by about twenty men, some of them Spanish prisoners-of-war. And so yet another battle, even though all but one of Owen's men ran away. The two of them exchanged fire with the 'enemy', leaving four of them dead. Unfortunately for Owen, one of the dead was a customs officer. He sailed a few days later for the Isle of Man, but the authorities were after him; he was forced to hide out for several months, going with his common-law wife into Ireland and for a while disguising themselves as pedlars. (He went briefly to Wales for legal advice, and claims that he had decided to give himself up for trial but for now stayed on the run 'for his liberty sake'.) He returned to the Isle of Man, and continued to hide out there until the net finally closed in; his wife, who had been helping him and bringing food, was arrested and he gave himself up a few days later.

Owen's trial took place at Hereford in March 1745, where 'a very severe prosecution was carry'd on against him by the commissioners of the customs', but in the course of his defence he 'gained the affection of the country very much' (even of the judge!), and after a trial of twelve hours, he was acquitted and 'the bells ringed for joy'. (He does not mention that, according to the court records, he was in fact convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter.)

Final decline: domestic tragedy; trial for murder

(pp.105-13)

Owen was (amazingly enough) not yet ready to give up smuggling, but his luck really does seem to have deserted him for good. He learned that his wife had been killed in a storm at sea; and his final smuggling run ended with him becoming very ill and running out of money in Ireland. He returned to Liverpool, where he recuperated for a while. He then decided to go home to south Wales to see his friends and family there, and to stay until he was fully recovered.

In south Wales he met James Lilly, 'a fencing master that was upon the road' and they travelled together 'awhile'. Lilly's death is the subject of a few lines: 'there was some other persons on the road, who were about a hundred yards off from them: Lilly was on horseback, but Owen was on foot, these men heard a shot, and saw the aforesaid Lilly drop off his horse with a pistol in his hand, and Owen with another in his hand Lilly's wound was mortal so that he died in a few hours after.'

Owen was arrested and tried in Carmarthen in April 1747, found guilty and sentenced to death. He denied it 'but was found guilty by a great many circumstances: a great many believed him to be innocent'.

The Character and Behaviour of Captn. Wm. Owen

[pp.114-18]

William Owen was a man of five foot and a half high, well made, clean limbed, a pretty long vissage, fair complexion, a very proud spirited man, very humble in his behaviour; very hospitable and very revengeful for the time, but of a forgiving temper; a little passionate formerly, but of late years otherwise, entirely by reasoning with himself, he overcomes passion; When he was angry he would look very fierce, whenever he would be going to an engagement, he would be very cool with a smiling countenance, never tasteth anything that is strong at such times, never was known drunk, he was seemingly a bashful man and never would make free with any man before he did know him well; never given to swearing nor quarrelling, but very much to shoreing, which proved his ruin; he had a notion when he was going on any enterprize, that the enemy could not kill him; he had his share of natural sense, pretty good learning very agreeable in his conversation, very sincere to his friend, more generosity than ability. At the same time, he had a great deal of inward feeling, but soon forgot himself. He never would be advised by his father, yet thought every man wiser than himself till he had proved them. In his latter days he proved a great penitent, reflected greatly on his youthfull transactions. He was greatly respected by all men of valour, and as much disrespected by all cowards; he had a great many friends, and so many adversaries, especially the officers of both custom house and excise.

He was very loyal in the main for he deny'd of a major's commission in the rebel army in the year, 1745. His carriage was very grand, it was very remarkable when he was but eight years of age his mind was entirely bent upon military exercises, and was always (when from school) exercising himself, he was thought by most people that knew him or have had conversation with him, to have been a very good natured man, in the last year and half of his days he was very serious and thoughtfull, so that a man would think him (at some particular times) to be quite melancholly; some people thought it was the death of his wife that he had taken to heart, others would say it was his loss and the the asperson of his adversaries.

Owen's exploits was acted as a play on several stages, at such towns as Whitehaven, Workington, Carlisle, Kendal, Lancaster, Dublin & in relation to his engagement with the Whitehaven cruiser &c, which actors got a great deal of money, by the same.