The Owlers The Hawkhurst Gang

This is a story loosely based on true events of intrigue, mayhem, and violence. A story of smuggling from a sleepy village in the heart of Kent in the 1700's, loosely based on true events. They started life as ordinary hard-working people who were pushed into a life of crime by other gangs, high taxation, and the way of life at the time. Now it seems no one could stop this gang who had a bad reputation eventually turning to murder to help their cause, calling up as many as 500 gang members in an hour, to help with their crimes, they were in the end, beaten by their own confidence. Named after the village of Hawkhurst, the gang was first mentioned in 1735. The gang used the "Oak and Ivy Inn", along Rye road in Hawkhurst as their headquarters. Other places they liked to frequent was the "The Mermaid Inn", in the town of Rye, where gang members would sit with their loaded weapons on the table. Many legends have arisen based on a network of tunnels that were built by the gang. But It maybe that many hidden cellars and remote barns and churches were being used for storage. These large groups of armed gangs operated openly, often riding through the larger towns in daylight, and were feared by night, getting the name of "Owlers", by those around them.