This work investigates the evolution of smuggling as a persistent economic and social phenomenon across seven centuries of British history. Neville Williams, a noted historian and former Assistant Keeper of the Public Record Office, utilizes extensive archival records and customs documentation to trace the methods, motivations, and impact of illicit trade. The book argues that smuggling was not merely a criminal enterprise but a complex response to state fiscal policy, taxation, and shifting geopolitical landscapes.

The text provides a dense, scholarly examination of the administrative history of customs enforcement and the ingenuity of those who sought to circumvent it. Its reliance on primary archival sources makes it a foundational reference for understanding the intersection of state regulation and black-market economics in historical Britain.