1767. Ray, Proverbs [Bohn (1893), 223], s.v.
1787. Grose, Prov. Glossary (1811), p. 93. Wiltshire moon-rakers.
Some Wiltshire rustics, as the story goes, seeing the figure of the
moon in a pond, attempted to rake it out.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v.
1865. Ouida, Strathmore, ch. xiv. ‘It was fine moonlight, last
night, my dear fellow, and Hampshire moonrakers do go fishing after
contraband goods, au clair de la lune, but I didn’t know you
belonged to the fraternity!’
1887. Jas. Payn, Glow-Worm Tales, i. 182. In Wiltshire we are not
fond of strangers; we are a simple race—some people even call us
moon-rakers.
1889. Hunter, Ency. Dict., s.v. Moon raker. Another version is,
that some countrymen, raking for kegs of smuggled spirits which had
been sunk in a pond, on being questioned by a revenue-officer, told
him they were trying to rake that great cheese (the reflection of
the moon) out of the water.