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- Ruxleys Crew
The Ruxey, or Ruxley's crew were a gang of smugglers that gained a large measure of notoriety in the early 1760s. They were led by 'Ruxley' (Stephen Bourner) and would, often during storms, board ships navigating the English Channel under the pretense of carrying out legitimate business. As soon as access to the victim vessel was achieved, they would lock up the crew of the ship, killing any that resisted and remove the cargo before sinking the vessel with all of the victim's hands on board.[1]
Drawing from [http://www.smuggling.co.uk/gazetteer_se_17.html Smuggling.co.uk WebsiteThis was during a period in history when privateering licenses could be purchased from the government. The event that led to the crew gaining their notoriety was when they attacked a Dutch vessel on the 15th of August 1786, the 'Three Sisters'[2] under the command of Peter Bootes[3], unsuccessfully off Beachy Head. In an attempt to escape, one of the gang, Stephen Taught was left behind. The Dutch captain made the fateful decision to hang the unfortunate crewmember from the yard-arm. This infuriated the Ruxley crew, who launched a new attack which was successful. Taught was cut down from the yard-arm and retribution was gained by breaking the Dutch captain's back with an axe. [1]
Later, the gang's drunken bragging about how the 'Dutchman wriggled when they cut him down the backbone', giving rise to the name of 'Chopbacks', led to outrage among the population of Hastings and demands were made as to what would be done about the gang. The mayor was attacked when he could not provide a reply to this and as a result the Government of the day anchored a Man-of-War offshore and sent 200 Inniskilling Dragoons ashore. The gang was arrested and tried in London (for fear that local citizens would be too afraid to find the gang guilty). Ultimately in 1769[2]. At the Admiralty Sessions, held in London on Oct. 30th 1769, Thomas Phillips, elder and younger, William and George Phillips, Mark Chatfield, Robert Webb, Thomas and Samuel Ailsbury, James and Richard Hyde, William Geary, alias Justice, alias George Wood, Thomas Knight, and William Wenham, were indicted for the piracy of the Three Sisters, and capitally convicted; and of these Thomas Ailsbury, William Geary, William Wenham, and Richard Hyde were hung, at Execution Dock on the 27th of November.[3]
The arrests of the gang caused a number of individuals, who, whilst not immediately involved, were implicated in the gang's activities such panic that one shop-keeper, reportedly worth £10,000 absconded at the news[3]. The legacy of the chopbacks endured (at least in the case of the Moon family) until possibly the 1960s when a local resident declared upon barring a contractor named 'Moon' from his house that "I'm not having a chopback in my house"[4]
The name of 'Chopbacks' has been adopted by Bexhill College Football team (2020).
References
- Sports Ground
The Sports Ground was a football ground used by senior clubs in the town between 1904 and 1914. Built on waste land which was part of the Brisco estate, the ground was opened by Annie du Cros, wife of Harvey du Cros, who became MP for Hastings in 1906. Football clubs were forced off the venue as part of 'Borough Improvement Scheme' which saw the creation of White Rock Gardens and the bowling greens situated in front of Falaise Pavilion (Falaise Gym) were laid out in place of the football pitch. There were also football pitches elsewhere on site, later known as the Catholic Ground, which played games to lesser senior games, these were located on what are now the Skate Park and Tennis Courts in White Rock Gardens.Images
References
- The Firs
The Firs was a football ground which used to be home to Hastings Town and St Leonards Football Club. It's early history is connected to the Pilot Field, which it was a part of before becoming a separate venue. Originally known as the 'upper pitch' after the Pilot Field had been levelled into two pitches in the 1920s, the ground became home to Hastings Town after they were forced out of the Pilot Field. The ground was at some point named the Firs and facilities were upgraded throughout its history, including the construction of the clubhouse and main stand. Hastings Town moved back to the Pilot Field in 1985, following the demise of Hastings United and the Firs played host mostly to youth and reserve team football. In 1992 STAMCO moved from their old pitch in Pett and would stay at the ground until they themselves folded in 2004. The ground then played host to local football, before a 5-a-side astroturf pitch was constructed on one half of the pitch, the ground would later go on to host youth team football and is currently home to the Hastings Pirates baseball team.References
- ↑ a b Smuggling on the Sussex coast: Cuckmere and Hastings, accessdate: 13 February 2020
- ↑ a b GLIMPSES OF OUR ANCESTORS in SUSSEX - online book, accessdate: 13 February 2020
- ↑ a b c Reminiscences of Smugglers and Smuggling: John Banks (1873) Pg. 32 Google Books
- ↑ Chopbacks in Hastings? (Sussex) - RootsChat.Com, accessdate: 13 February 2020
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