Rise and fall
He appeared to have made his mark, not always a good one, from an early stage in his career, and frequent references were made to his activities. He engineered the dismissal of his captain from the Bridlington and was appointed in his place. Allegations were made by members of his crew that they had been struck or dismissed by him.
Yet he was also a family man - from the parish registers viewed at the Northumberland Record Office it was noted that in 1760 he married Alice Allison and thereafter raised a number of children. He was wealthy, as he could afford to purchase a plot of land at Cullercoats in 1768 to build a house.
'... he was charged and convicted of permitting smugglers to escape ...'
These riches were a puzzle, as the pay attached to his post as stated in the customs letter books was not great - and his expenses claims were often queried by the Customs Board in London.
Then the record showed how Thomas fell foul of the authorities in 1771, when he was charged and convicted of permitting smugglers to escape and giving false accounts of goods that he had allegedly seized. (TNA ref. CUST84/133 fo.335-6, 12 November 1771)
On this occasion family influence in the area seems to have saved Thomas's neck. Inspection of the letter books shows at least five previous occasions when he was under investigation or complaint. One also alluded to fraud. But he served out his punishment of suspension for three months, a fine and a severe public reprimand, and was allowed to return to sea in February 1772.
Published: 2004-09-13
