Moonrakers is the colloquial name for people from Wiltshire, a county in the West Country of England.
Moonrakers is the colloquial name for people from Wiltshire, a county in the West Country of England.
This name refers to a folk story set in the time when smuggling was a significant industry in rural England, with Wiltshire lying on the smugglers' secret routes between the south coast and customers in the centre of the country. [1]
The story goes that some local people had hidden contraband barrels of French brandy from customs officers in a village pond. While trying to retrieve it at night, they were caught by the revenue men, but explained themselves by pointing to the moon's reflection and saying they were trying to rake in a round cheese. The revenue men, thinking they were simple yokels, laughed at them and went on their way. But, as the story goes, it was the moonrakers who had the last laugh. In the words of Wiltshire shepherd William Little who recounted the story to writer John Yonge Akerman: "Zo the excizeman 'as ax'd 'n the question 'ad his grin at 'n,...but they'd a good laugh at 'ee when 'em got whoame the stuff." [note 1] [2]
The story dates to before 1787, when the Moonrakers tale appeared in Francis Grose's Provincial Glossary. [3] Research by Wiltshire Council's Community History Project shows that a claim can be made for the Crammer, a pond at Southbroom, Devizes, as the original location for the tale. [4] Other accounts naming the village of Bishops Cannings 2+1⁄2 miles to the north-east of Devizes, which has no pond, are explained by a change in the parish boundaries in 1835, which transferred the Crammer from that parish into the town. [5] [4] However, many other places in the county have laid claim to the story. [6]
Supporters of the association football club Oxford United use moonraker as a derogatory term for fans of their Wiltshire-based rivals Swindon Town. [7]
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north and the north-west, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to the west and the south-west. The largest settlement is Swindon, and Trowbridge is the county town.
Swindon is a large town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located in South West England, Swindon lies on the M4 corridor, 71 miles (114km) to the west of London and 36 miles to the east of Bristol. The Cotswolds lie just to the town's north and the North Wessex Downs to its south.
Marlborough is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire on the Old Bath Road, the old main road from London to Bath. The town is on the River Kennet, 24 miles (39 km) north of Salisbury and 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Swindon.
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century civil war between Stephen of England and Empress Matilda, and again during the English Civil War when the Cavaliers lifted the siege at the Battle of Roundway Down. Devizes remained under Royalist control until 1645, when Oliver Cromwell attacked and forced the Royalists to surrender. The castle was destroyed in 1648 on the orders of Parliament, and today little remains of it.
Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in east Wiltshire, England. The village is on the River Dun about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) southwest of Hungerford, 14 miles (23 km) southeast of Swindon and 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Marlborough.
Aldbourne is a village and civil parish about 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, in a valley on the south slope of the Lambourn Downs – part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. From here an unnamed winterbourne flows south to join the River Kennet 4 miles (6 km) away near Ramsbury. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 1,833. The parish includes the hamlets of Upper Upham and Woodsend and part of the hamlet of Preston, which straddles the boundary with Ramsbury. The village of Snap became deserted in the early 20th century.
Bishops Cannings is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire, England, 3 miles (5 km) north-east of Devizes. The parish includes the village of Coate and the hamlets of Bourton, Horton and Little Horton.
Everleigh, pronounced and also sometimes spelt Everley, is a village and civil parish in east Wiltshire, England, about 4+1⁄2 miles (7 km) southeast of the town of Pewsey, towards the northeast of Salisbury Plain.
Wiltshire is a historic county located in the South West England region. Wiltshire is landlocked and is in the east of the region.
The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England, within the ecclesiastical Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the historic county of Dorset, and most of Wiltshire. The diocese is led by Stephen Lake, Bishop of Salisbury, and by the diocesan synod. The bishop's seat is at Salisbury Cathedral.
Wiltshire Police, formerly known as Wiltshire Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Wiltshire in South West England.
Highworth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, England, about 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Swindon town centre. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 8,258. The town is notable for its Queen Anne and Georgian buildings, dating from its pre-eminence in the 18th century. It also has a 13th-century church, St. Michael and All Angels. The parish includes Sevenhampton village and the hamlets of Hampton and Redlands.
Sir Paul Methuen, of Bishops Cannings, Wiltshire, was an English diplomat and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1708 and 1747. He was an envoy to Portugal between 1697 and 1708 and later a holder of public offices, particularly in the Royal household.
Southbroom House is an 18th-century Grade II* listed house in Devizes, Wiltshire, England. The house and its grounds were bought by Wiltshire County Council in 1925 for use as a school, and today the house forms part of Devizes School, the town's secondary school.
Marden is a small village and civil parish 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Devizes in the county of Wiltshire, south west England. The parish is in the Vale of Pewsey which carries the upper section of the Salisbury Avon; to the south the parish extends into Salisbury Plain.
"The Moon is made of green cheese" is a statement referring to a fanciful belief that the Moon is composed of cheese. In its original formulation as a proverb and metaphor for credulity with roots in fable, this refers to the perception of a simpleton who sees a reflection of the Moon in water and mistakes it for a round cheese wheel. It is widespread as a folkloric motif among many of the world's cultures, and the notion has also found its way into children's folklore and modern popular culture.
Roundway is a hamlet, ward and former civil parish adjacent to Devizes in the English county of Wiltshire. The hamlet lies about 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km) northeast of Devizes town centre.
Poulshot is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. Its nearest town is Devizes, about 2.5 miles (4 km) to the northeast. The parish includes the hamlet of Townsend.
Stert is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. Its nearest town is Devizes, about 2 miles (3.2 km) away to the northwest.
if the trade of the smuggler seems somewhat an unlikely one...in the heart of the downs of North Wiltshire...whole population[s]...carried cargoes of contraband goods by the little-frequented ridgeways or trackways...and so handed them on to the very middle of England
the Crammer in Devizes, a seemingly excellent pond for moonraking used to lie within the parish of Bishop's Cannings.
The site of the pond is a matter of fierce...conjecture, with any one of the many Wiltshire towns and villages which boast a pond laying claim to be the home of the original moonrakers at one time or another.
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