What is the official name for the people that caused shipwrecks on the south coast for the cargo?

Question

They are Cornish shipwreckers and they used to lure the ships to the rocks by swinging lanterns and pretending they were boats. They would crash and these "bandits" would steal all the cargo and murder any survivors who might act as witnesses. Can you tell me what these people were called? Thanks :)

Answer 1

They were known as wreckers.

See the link below for more information.

History of Smuggling: South-West England.

http://www.smuggling.co.uk/gazetteer_sw....

Answer 2

They were simply known as "wreckers". Whether the crimes of deliberate shipwrecking attributed to them ever really happened is a matter of some historical controversy. There is no reliable written evidence. However, there is no doubt that many shipwrecks on the Cornish coast in the 18th and early 19th centuries were greeted with glee by the local citizens as occasions for "salvage", and there is some doubt as to whether they always took care to preserve the lives of the survivors. Good question!

Answer 3

pirates...?