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The Carrick coast was ideally suited for smuggling. Ships could slip into a small bay between rocky headlands and leave their cargoes for uplift on sandy coves. Dowhill Port is one of the many convenient bays where the 18th century Carrick smugglers landed their cargoes of brandy and tea in what was called “the free trade.

In June 1765, 48 people appeared before Kirkoswald Kirk Session. They were reprimanded, not for stealing or cheating the Excise or for the subsequent drunken enjoyment of the goods, but for doing it on the Sabbath! (Source: “A Corner of Carrick” by James A Guthrie.)

The excise duty on brandy was very high, putting it beyond the reach of ordinary people. However, as 18th century water supplies were seldom clean, making tea or sterilising the water with spirits made it much safer to drink.
This led to the commonly-held view that smuggling was perfectly acceptable. The trade died out during the Napoleonic wars when water supplies became cleaner and cheating the Excise was considered to be unpatriotic.