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Do you remember Oliver Cromwell and the English Civil War? Good. Once the war finished there were a lot of ex-soldiers who had fought for Charles I and they had nothing to do and were no longer earning any money. Some of them turned to robbery, robbery on the roads of England. The roads were little more then tracks with pot holes and deep ruts and so carriages, pulled by some horses, couldn't travel very fast. The good news for the people robbing these carriages was that it was only the wealthy who could afford to pay for such luxury as travel by carriage.
One of the reasons we know these robberies were a problem was that in 1692, when William III and Mary II were monarchs, there was an Act Of Parliament which provided a monetary reward for catching such a robber. As their nasty deeds took place on the highways of England, the robbers became known as highwaymen.
They were very cunning and would often ambush the coaches on a hill, where they would be going slower, on a Sunday, when the authorities were at church and they would work together with the landlords of some inns that the coaches stopped at so they knew where the wealthy passengers were. Needless to say, the landlords received some of the profit.
All the highwaymen needed, and there were a few women amongst them, was a fast horse, a saddle, the ability to ride (very useful) and off they went. In most cases highwaymen didn't shoot or kill their victims and so they became heroes to the ordinary people. In 1728 an opera was staged in London about highwaymen. It was called The Beggar's Opera. It is still sometimes produced now.
This has all come about on this date because, on 7 April 1739, probably the most famous highwayman of all, Dick Turpin, aged 34, was hanged in York. Turpin is one of these examples where history changes the actual world. Turpin, like other highwaymen, often worked in a gang. However, far from being a lovable rogue who stole from the rich, he and his gang were quite brutal. They did kill many people while robbing them and after a time in London Turpin fled to York but was captured and sentenced to death. See what you can find out about Dick Turpin and highwaymen but remember, not all of it may be true.
Funnily enough, well maybe Dick Turpin didn't find it so funny, but the hangman who was at his execution, was a reformed highwayman.
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