King's Cutters and Smugglers 1700-1855

The author reconstructs the long-running struggle between coastal smugglers and the government's preventive service, basing accounts on manuscript records and official documentation. He explains smuggling techniques, concealment methods, landing operations, and shore organisation alongside the construction, armament, and service of revenue cutters and similar craft. The narrative presents episodes of dramatic chases, violent encounters, and administrative responses, and includes technical appendices with dimensions, plans, and fleet details. Emphasis remains on factual reporting rather than romanticised fiction, blending operational episodes with material useful to maritime and social history readers.