In his book Forever England (1932), Major General Jack Seely records how:

Even in my grandfather’s time a tub of brandy was always left at both the farm and the Rectory. Our old butler, by name Linggar, told me that in 1884, ‘Your grandfather (Charles Seely) came into the stables (Brooke House) the morning after the convict ship had come ashore on Brighstone Ledge. He found a tub in the corner of one of the loose boxes, made a terrible to-do, and handed it over to the coastguard. I heard him say myself that it was wrong to defraud the revenue and that he would have nothing to do with it. It was a great pity, for it was the best brandy they had ever landed; but then, you see, Master Jack, he was an M.P. and he had to say it. We all understood that well enough.’