Plymouthhistory

Notorious
By Laura Quigley ©
William Culliford was an upstanding customs officer in the 1680s sent by the King to
investigate the customs officials in Devon and Cornwall. William’s report was a damning
indictment: the customs officers of the two counties were the most corrupt in the country,
frequently taking bribes, stealing cargoes, engaging in every kind of scam and larceny they could.
He was appalled, wondering why the smugglers here even bothered to hide their activities. His
report resulted in the dismissal of the worst offenders – including the Controller of Customs at
Plymouth - and an overhaul of the whole service.
At the same time, William appointed his son Robert to the post of customs officer in
Southampton, but the profligate Robert was not content to live on the meagre salary of 45 pounds
a year. With his friend William Kidd, Robert became a privateer, joining the government’s raiding
parties against pirates and enemy ships in the West Indies. William Kidd took command of a
captured French ship, and now as Captain Kidd received a commission to hunt down pirates, but
his criminal activities show he had a very loose interpretation of his duties – he was certainly more
interested in raiding the cargoes than actually catching any pirates. Meanwhile Culliford himself
had become a pirate – with the wonderful nickname “Cutlass Culliford” - and Kidd and Culliford
spent many days drinking together as they attacked trading ships and brought death and
destruction to the West Indies and then the Indian Ocean.
Both men and their crews were eventually captured by the Royal Navy and brought to
London for trial. Almost all of the crewmen were hanged, and Kidd charged with piracy ironically
because of his association with Cutlass Culliford. Kidd was then hanged and his rotting body left in
an iron cage over the Thames to deter anyone else tempted into piracy. Meanwhile his scheming
associate Robert Culliford was pardoned, having testified against all his comrades, and released.
Of course, Robert Culliford now needed employment. His father’s report had resulted in a
substantial increase in the salary for customs officers, to discourage corruption, so the job
suddenly looked more attractive, and Robert spent the rest of his days back in his old job as
customs officer for Southampton.
And what of William Culliford? How did he react to his son’s disreputable behaviour? Was
he too astonished that the authorities would let a pirate go back to being a customs officer?
William seems to have made no comment until after his death in the 1730s, when he bequeathed
a substantial inheritance - but only to his daughters.