The Wansdyke & District Forums

Every county has its fools and Wiltshire has the best of them: the moonrakers. The story goes that smugglers had hidden their kegs of brandy in a village pond, and were raking them out by night when the excise men came upon them. Quick as anything the smugglers pointed at the reflection of the full moon in the water and said they were only trying to rake out the great round cheese they could see floating there. The excise men rode off laughing at the simple Wiltshire yokels, and the smugglers kept their brandy. So who were the fools? That is the whole point of it, and why we wear the name with pride. Bishop's Cannings and Devizes both claim it, and they can fight that out between them.

its Devizes, everyone knows its Devizes, the cannings lot can have a day off. though my grandad swore it happened at the pond at Coate. probably happened nowhere and everywhere, thats how these go. good story though, ill give the smugglers that. playing thick to look clever is very wiltshire.

That is exactly the genius of it, Mr Giddings, and you have put your finger on why I love it. The moonraker lets the outsider think you are simple, and keeps his treasure under the water while the outsider laughs and rides away. There is a deep old wisdom in playing the fool. The cleverest thing a country person ever did was to let the gentleman believe he was the clever one.

My father called himself a moonraker proud as anything. Said it meant we kept what was ours and let them think what they liked. I have always thought it was about more than brandy, somehow.