Arthur Gray (1713–1748) was one of the leaders of the notorious Hawkhurst Gang that operated from its base in Kent, along the South Coast of England from 1735 until 1750. A charismatic leader described as a gentleman and "fop",[1] he denied ever being involved in the smuggling himself, but acted as the mastermind behind Hawkhurst's operations.[2]

Biography

Depicting the murder of William Galley

Arthur Gray was born in 1713, the eleventh of the thirteen children of William Gray Esq. and his wife Mary Gray.[3] One of his brothers was William Gray, who was also involved with the gang.[2][4]

Gray served as an apprentice to a butcher at Marden, near Maidstone, for seven years. He then returned to Hawkhurst, and there carried on his trade (as a butcher) for about three years. He then, by his own admission, spent more and more time in the company of smugglers, although denying ever smuggling himself. However, he was known to have become one of the leaders of the Hawkhurst Gang.[5] Indeed, it is said that Gray lived in a large manor house outside Hawkhurst, from whence the gang derived its name.[4]

Gray was tried for his offences at the Old Bailey and found guilty. He was executed at Tyburn, in London on 11 May 1748 and then gibbeted at Stamford Hill, Hackney. The following year, Thomas Kingsmill, the gang's new leader, and Fairall were also hung at Tyburn.[6]

Gray’s body was hung on a double gibbet that had been used before. He was gibbeted next to the body of a murderer. Gray remained in the gibbet until 1752 when his body was finally cut down.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Preston, 2022
  2. 1 2 Teignmouth, Henry Noel Shore baron; Harper, Charles George (1923). The Smugglers: Picturesque Chapters in the History of Contraband. C. Palmer. p. 73.
  3. ↑ "Arthur Gray son of William Gray and Mary Gray". The Weald of Kent Surrey and Sussex. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  4. 1 2 Dragovich, Joseph (4 May 2023). Hawkhurst: Murder, Corruption, and Britain's Most Notorious Smuggling Gang. History Press. ISBN 978-1-80399-394-2.
  5. ↑ Old Bailey Proceedings Online 1674–1913. Execution of Arthur Gray. Ordinary's Account, 11 May 1748. Reference Number: OA17480511 Version 6.0 17 Retrieved 15 December 2018
  6. ↑ Old Bailey Proceedings Online (accessed 15 December 2018), Trial of Arthur Gray. (t17480420-23, 11 May 1748).
  7. ↑ Dyndor Z. The Gibbet in the Landscape: Locating the Criminal Corpse in Mid-Eighteenth-Century England. In: Ward R, editor. A Global History of Execution and the Criminal Corpse [Internet]. Basingstoke (UK): Palgrave Macmillan; 2015. Chapter 3. Accessdate 17 December 2018.


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