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The last smuggler killed in
England in a fight with coastguards was reputedly Thomas Monk of Winchelsea who was killed on April Fool's Day 1838. Legend has it that Dumb Woman's Lane near the town's train station is so-named because smugglers caught out in daylight with their contraband saw a woman
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The street's history and etymology are not confirmed. Sources for the street describe two theories. The first is that the source of the name is a mute woman who sold traditional medicines and once lived on the lane. The second is that the lane is named after a woman who witnessed the activities of
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Dumb Woman's Lane has achieved a level of notoriety because of its controversial name, which has been reported as affecting house prices. The lane is often visited for people to have their photograph taken with the signposts, which are also occasionally
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198:. In the novel's afterword, he covers the true history of the region's smuggling. According to Preston, the lane was named after a local publican's wife who had her tongue removed for reporting the activities of the
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Milligan died at home in Dumb Woman's Lane, Udimore, near Rye, Sussex, and his headstone, after a long tussle with the diocese, was inscribed as he had wished (but in Gaelic): 'I told you I was ill'.
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looking at them out of a window. Alarmed lest she identify them, they decided to cut out her tongue to ensure her silence. The comedian Spike
Milligan once lived in the same lane.
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who, knowing he lived there, wrote a poem about Dumb Woman's Lane which he recited on a visit. Following his death, Milligan was buried in the nearby St Thomas' Church.
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once meant simply "mute") residing on or near the lane, likely in the 18th century. The street is also known as the residence of the comedian
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in East Sussex, England. The street has achieved a level of notoriety because of its unusual name. While the
504:"'Dumb Womans Lane' and 'Titty Ho': The streets where it's four times harder for owners to sell their homes"
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433:"Spike Milligan: Goon but not forgotten – Rye residents remember comic's antics 20 years after his death"
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lived in a house on the lane from 1988 until his death in 2002. Milligan was acquainted with the singer
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gangs in the area and had her tongue removed to prevent her from informing authorities.
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wrote about 18th century smuggling in the area in his 2022 historical fiction novel
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Dumb Woman's Lane provides access between the B2089 Udimore Road, which runs from
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245:"Dumb Woman's Lane near Rye and what people who live there think about its name"
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Dumb Woman's Lane and signposts directing to Rye and
Winchelsea
337:"Winchelsea, terrible tempests and Romney's laughing frogs"
279:"What is the smallest town in the whole of the UK?"
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124:is a street located in the civil parish of
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502:Smith, Sophie (30 September 2017).
150:from 1988 until his death in 2002.
445:from the original on 17 March 2022
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366:Preston, Alex (3 February 2022).
291:from the original on 29 June 2023
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431:Watts, Alex (21 February 2022).
255:from the original on 18 May 2022
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33:Street sign of Dumb Woman's Lane
474:The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present
277:Hasson, Andrew (24 June 2023).
310:Ivatts, Mags (30 April 2020).
16:Street in East Sussex, England
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395:McGinness, Mark (July 2009).
243:Gladwin, Anna (29 May 2021).
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397:"THE BRITISH NOTEWORTHY"
200:Hawkhurst smuggling gang
579:History of East Sussex
560:. 2008. Archived from
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589:Roads in East Sussex
547:at Wikimedia Commons
509:The Daily Telegraph
312:"What's in a name?"
205:The Irish comedian
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516:on 17 January 2024
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545:Dumb Woman's Lane
543:Media related to
402:Quadrant Magazine
343:. 3 February 2017
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584:Mute people
249:Sussex Live
190:The author
154:Description
107: /
83:Coordinates
75:Postal code
573:Categories
520:17 January
449:17 January
368:Winchelsea
347:17 January
321:17 January
295:17 January
259:17 January
225:References
196:Winchelsea
164:Winchelsea
130:Winchelsea
92:50°56′26″N
479:Liveright
415:0033-5002
284:The Argus
185:smuggling
134:etymology
95:0°41′58″E
471:(2023).
443:Archived
316:Rye News
289:Archived
253:Archived
65:Location
557:Bonhams
170:History
128:, near
126:Udimore
69:Udimore
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219:stolen
522:2024
483:ISBN
451:2024
411:ISSN
376:ISBN
349:2024
323:2024
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261:2024
143:dumb
138:mute
78:TN31
160:Rye
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
