The Wansdyke & District Forums

The one tale every soul in this county half knows, and I should like to gather the proper local version before it gets flattened into the tourist board's. The Moonrakers. Smugglers, the story goes, had sunk their brandy kegs in a pond to hide them from the excisemen, and went back of a moonlit night to fish them out with their hay-rakes. The revenue men came upon them and asked what in the world they were doing, and quick as you like they pointed at the moon's reflection on the water and said they were raking out that great round cheese. The officers rode off laughing at the daft yokels, and the locals had their brandy and the last laugh both. Which pond, is my question. I have heard it set at three different ones within ten mile, every village wanting it for its own.

Oh we always had it as the Crammer at Devizes, that was the pond in our telling, my grandfather was most particular about it. He said a Wiltshire man would always rather be thought a fool and keep his brandy than be thought clever and lose it, and there was the whole character of the county in one story . I do like that it is a tale where the simple ones turn out to be the cunning ones really. We dont get many of those.

its the crammer course it is, nans grandfather had it right. though ill say every pond in wiltshire and half of somerset claims it and theres no settling it. doesnt stop it being a good un. and i dont mind being called a moonraker, better than being the clever sort who got himself caught.

There is more in it than smuggling, I have always thought. The moon raked from the water is an old, old image, the reflected thing taken for the real, the treasure that is there and not there at once. The smugglers' tale is the last comfortable coat an older idea has put on to keep itself decent. But I will not push it, Annie, you only asked which pond.

Push it all you like Bran, that is exactly the layer I am after. The smuggling dates it, eighteenth century, excisemen and all. The raking of the moon is far older and we will never date it. Both true at once, which is how the best of these work. Thank you all. The Crammer it is for the record, with a note that three other ponds dispute it, as they always will.