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Our History
Several years ago, many hundreds of documents, manuscripts and records were retrieved from a vault in St. Mary's Church,* which date back to 1300 AD. From these records, together with existing authenticated material, it can be established that Bob Elliot, perhaps the most notorious of all Devonshire smugglers, resided at one of two cottages at present forming part of The Smugglers Haunt Hotel.
In 1851 Bob Elliot and his crew, Skipper Jack, Bob Dugdale, Aron Trier, Pogwell, Shears, Green, Lakeman and Dyers were sought by Revenue men following a find of 142 bales of tobacco in limestone caves off Berry Head*.
Bob Elliot escaped by being placed in a massive coffin and carried out of the Carpenters/Coffin Shop (being our present-day Reception). He was duly buried and later, with the aid of accomplices, exhumed and thus escaped. He was seen later that very day by 3 coastguards on their way home on the Totnes Road*, who at first thought it must be a ghost.
From then on, he was known as 'Resurrection Bob'.
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