The highwayman of romantic fiction was a gentleman of the road. A glamorous figure of a man, (at least to the ladies) inevitably tall and handsome; he wore a tricorn hat, was masked, well dressed and sat astride a magnificent stallion. It was assumed, because of his ownership of such a magnificent beast, that he was a gentleman by birth, maybe fallen on hard times or maybe simply one who has taken to the road out of sheer devilment and a sense of adventure.
Robbing only the well-to-do traveller and never the poor, the gallant highwayman would suddenly appear on the road in front of a carriage or coach, brandishing a pair of pistols and cry out the challenge, ‘Stand and Deliver‘. Very few coachmen were brave enough to disobey and once the vehicle drew a standstill the courteous highwayman would order the occupants to hand over their valuables. The gentlemen reluctantly complied, the ladies too; though some fluttered their eyes and others swooned at a smile from the devilishly handsome robber. Another piece of fiction is Dick Turpin’s famous ride on the back of Black Bess and journeying from London to York in one day. It didn’t take place, This story is attributed a highwayman of a much earlier date, who was said to have made an even longer journey to provide himself with a alibi.
That is the romantic version. But in truth the highwaymen were for the most part , nothing but a bunch of thieving robbers, who were neither handsome nor gentlemen. They stole from the rich and poor alike, some - though not all - even murdered the men and raped their women victims.
Dick Turpin
There have been many highwaymen before and since, but the one that stands out from the rest by his deeds - imagined or real - is the most heroic and famous of them all, Dick Turpin. According to the parish records he was baptised at Hempstead in Essex, although the is no record of him being born in the village. His father, landlord of a local inn and a butcher, saw to it that he was taught to read and write and later apprenticed him as a butcher.
Shortly after completing his apprenticeship at the age of twenty-one Turpin was married to a Rose Palmer and set up in business as a butcher. The business was a success, unfortunately not long after he opened, the neighbouring farms were plagued by an outbreak of sheep rustling and he eventually had to flee the area, after two of the sheep were traced back to him.
His career as a retail butcher at an end, Dick and his wife fled to the coast of Essex and became involved with a gang of smugglers. But after impersonating a Revenue Officer and robbing his fellow smugglers he had to flee for his life once more. His destination was Waltham forest where his skills at butchering came in handy, when he joined a gang known as Gregory’s Gang. The gang that had started out as deer rustlers had branched out into burglary and housebreaking and were not adverse to a bit of torture in an effort to get their hands on the householders money.
As the reputation of the infamous gang grew the authorities offered a large reward for information of their whereabouts. And acting on information received raided a certain tavern In Westminster, capturing most off the gang. Turnpin somehow managed to avoid the trap and escaped the clutches of the authorities - fiction would have us believe that he sprang from an upstairs window, landed on the back of his horse and sped off into the night.
When those captured were hanged at Tyburn, the escaped Turpin, with a price on his head, teamed up with ‘Rowden the Pewterer’. Rowden was another gang member who had evaded capture and as a pair they carried out several robberies in broad daylight. Despite their success as a team, Rowden moved on and Turpin now known as ‘Turpin the Butcher’ was reported to be carrying out single-handed hold-ups in the Twickenham area.
Not long after this Turpin was once more in partnership, this time with another well known highwayman by the name of Tom King. It was said that they met one evening on the road when each tried to hold up the other. Using a cave deep in the heart Waltham forest as their base, the pair created havoc on the roads with a series of risky but lucrative robberies. The price on Turpin’s head was increased to £200 and patrols on the roads were stepped up, resulting in some narrow escapes.
On those occasions when the authorities gave chase they were given the slip in the forest. On one occasion Turpin had to spend the night high in the trees while a pack of dogs searched for him below. On another occasion while Turpin was on his own a pair bounty hunters intent on the reward money attacked the cave but he managed kill one of them and drive the other off.
The successful King-Turpin, partnership came to an abrupt end when there was a confrontation between a man called Boyles, King and Turpin, over a horse that Turpin had stolen previously. Having shot at Boyles and missed, King shouted for Turpin to shoot Boyles, unfortunately Turpin also missed Boyles and mortally wounded King instead.
Turpin escaped from Boyles, who in an effort to gain the reward money had brought a constable with him, and blaming himself for the death of his friend, gave up the life of a highway robber and retired to the country. That state of affairs didn’t last long and soon he and his pistols were back on the road again. By now he had been leading a life of crime for 11 years or so and had become so famous and the reward on his head so large that he was in great danger of capture. Informants after the reward money, constantly disclosed his whereabouts and after several close shaves, where he was forced to escape over the rooftops and through back alleys, he simply decided to disappeared.
A rumour circulated that someone answering his description had barely escaped arrest for sheep and horse rustling in Lincolnshire. But there was nothing further heard and the rumour died out. Then to the surprise of all, news reached London that Dick Turpin the highwayman was in York Prison for horse stealing.
How that came about was as follows. A horse trader by the name of John Palmer, a recent arrival to the area, who had set up business in Beverly near Hull, had for some reason shot his landlord’s fighting cock. When someone complained about this unwarranted action he threaten to shoot them too. The local magistrate was informed of the threat and Palmer was arrest. He was given bail but when no one stepped forward as surety he was locked up pending futher enquiries. On investigations being made It turned out that Palmer was wanted in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire on several charges of rustling and he was transferred to York Castle Prison.
Needing a character witness for his forthcoming trial Palmer wrote to his brother-in-law but failed to pay the postage. Not recognising the hand writing his brother-in-law refused to accept the letter and it was sent back to the local post office. And this was where it all went wrong; somehow his old teacher John Smith saw the letter, recognised the handwriting and the surprised authorities were informed that they had the notorious Dick Turpin in their grasp.
Dressed in a new suit and shoes that he bought especially fo the occasion Dick Turpin, aged thirty-three, was hanged on the 7th of April 1739 at Knavesmire outside York. His body was transferred to The Blue Boar In in Castlegate and was buried the next day in the churchyard of St George‘s Church. The grave was desecrated, when grave robbers dug up and removed the body. Unfortunately for the ghouls they were spotted as they made off with the corpse and during the chase that followed had to dump the body to make good their escape. Turpin’s corpse was recovered from where it had been dumped in someone’s back garden, laced with quicklime, reburied and you can visit his grave. It lies in the churchyard of St George’s Church In York.
and famous of them all, Dick Turpin. According to the parish records he was baptised at Hempstead in Essex, although the is no record of him being born in the village. His father, landlord of a local inn and a butcher, saw to it that he was taught to read and write and later apprenticed him as a butcher.
stolen previously. Having shot at Boyles and missed, King shouted for Turpin to shoot Boyles, unfortunately Turpin also missed Boyles and mortally wounded King instead.