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183-444: Richard Turpin ( bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft . Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher early in his life but, by the early 1730s, he had joined a gang of deer thieves and, later, became a poacher , burglar , horse thief, and killer. He
366-422: A fence , or receiver , (銷贓者), was a merchant who bought and sold stolen goods . Fences were part of the extensive network of accomplices in the criminal underground of Ming and Qing China. Their occupation entailed criminal activity, but as fences often had a non-criminal primary occupation, they acted as liaisons between the respectable community and the criminal underworld, living a "precarious existence on
549-404: A receiver , mover , or moving man , is an individual who knowingly buys stolen goods in order to later resell them for profit. The fence acts as a middleman between thieves and the eventual buyers of stolen goods who may not be aware that the goods are stolen. As a verb (e.g. " to fence stolen goods"), the word describes the behaviour of the thief in the transaction with the fence. As
732-408: A 'racket' on the road transport of an extensive district; carriers regularly paid them a ransom to go unmolested. They often attacked coaches for their lack of protection, including public stagecoaches ; the postboys who carried the mail were also frequently held up. The demand to " Stand and deliver !" (sometimes in forms such as "Stand and deliver your purse!" "Stand and deliver your money!")
915-600: A Pistol, which he clapp'd to Mr Bayes ' s Breast; but it luckily flash'd in the Pan; upon which King struggling to get out his other, it had twisted round his pocket and he could not. Turpin , who was waiting not far off on Horseback, hearing a Skirmish came up, when King cried out, Dick, shoot him, or we are taken by G—d ; at which Instant Turpin fir'd his Pistol, and it mist Mr. Bayes , and shot King in two Places, who cried out, Dick, you have kill'd me ; which Turpin hearing, he rode away as hard as he could. King fell at
1098-784: A Reward of 200l. to any Person or Persons that shall discover him, so as he may be apprehended and convicted. Turpin was born at Thacksted in Essex, is about Thirty, by Trade a Butcher, about 5 Feet 9 Inches high, brown Complexion, very much mark'd with the Small Pox, his Cheek-bones broad, his Face thinner towards the Bottom, his Visage short, pretty upright, and broad about the Shoulders. Several newspapers suggested that on 6 and 7 May, he committed two highway robberies near Epping. Turpin may also have lost his mount; on 7 May. Elizabeth King,
1281-498: A Spanish TV series which aired from 1976 to 1979, starred a group of 19th-century highwaymen or bandoleros in the mountains of Ronda in the south of Spain. Ronia, the Robber's Daughter (aka Ronja Robbersdaughter in the US) is a 1984 Swedish fantasy film , based on the 1981 novel of the same title by Astrid Lindgren , and narrating the adventures of Ronia, the daughter of the leader of
1464-485: A body of mounted police began to patrol the districts around the city at night. London was growing rapidly, and some of the most dangerous open spaces near the city, such as Finchley Common , were being covered with buildings. However, this only moved the robbers' operating area further out, to the new exterior of an expanded city, and does not therefore explain decline. A greater use of banknotes , more traceable than gold coins, also made life more difficult for robbers, but
1647-619: A common benefit about compounding: nobody was in a better position to do so than thief-takers . Thief-takers grew increasingly notorious in England as a reward was introduced by the Crown for each successfully condemned criminal. Some of them, such as Anthony Dunn, publicly referred to as "pretended Thiefe-taker" in a 1707 document, used their social power as thief-takers as an advantage for receiving. Thief-takers were usually so involved with thieves and gangs of thieves that they could easily condemn them for
1830-399: A company of higlers , in the same month he was reported to be working alongside two other highwaymen, Matthew King (then, and since, incorrectly identified as Tom King ), and Stephen Potter. The trio were responsible for a string of robberies between March and April 1737, which ended suddenly in an incident at Whitechapel, after King (or Turpin, depending upon which report is read) had stolen
2013-453: A concern for the government during the mid to late Ming era. The government passed a law in which illegal smugglers who traded with foreigners without the consent of the government would be punished with exile to the border for military service. In areas where military troops were stationed, stealing and selling military property would result in more severe punishment. In the Jiaqing time, a case
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#17328519791032196-485: A disadvantage of trying to sell stolen goods outside a fence's home city directly to buyers is that the fence may not be well-known in the community and thus not likely to be trusted by potential customers whether law-abiding or otherwise. To overcome this, fences often develop clandestine relationships with trusted fences in other locales, thus allowing stolen goods to be easily exchanged in bulk by fences in different cities. For some types of stolen goods, fences disassemble
2379-402: A fee a felony of the same importance and punishment as the crime (theft) related to the goods returned (which meant a capital offence in most cases, with raised potential reward for definitive evidence, from £40 to £140). Eventually, the government took direct action against Wild through lawyers, succeeding in condemning and executing him in 1725. There is no registered case of female fences of
2562-513: A fence was an option that was not too strenuous, but had the potential to bring in a fair sum of income. Most fences worked within their own town or village. For example, in some satellite areas of the capital, military troops lived within or close to the commoner population and they had the opportunity to hold illegal trades with commoners. In areas like Baoding and Hejian , local peasants and community members not only purchased military livestock such as horses and cattle, but also helped to hide
2745-677: A figure styled on Robin Hood . Sid James appeared as Turpin in the 1974 Carry On film Carry On Dick , and LWT cast Richard O'Sullivan as Turpin in their eponymous series Dick Turpin (1979–1982). Noel Fielding starred as Turpin in The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin for Apple TV+ . There is a street in Feltham , near Hatton Cross tube station on the edge of London's Heathrow Airport , named Dick Turpin Way, owing to
2928-450: A foal worth 20 shillings, and a gelding worth three pounds. The indictments stated that the alleged offences had occurred at Welton on 1 March 1739, and described Turpin as "John Palmer alias Pawmer alias Richard Turpin ... late of the castle of York in the County of York labourer". Technically the charges were invalid—the offences had occurred at Heckington , not Welton, and
3111-560: A gang of highwaymen. Ronja, the Robber's Daughter ( Japanese : 山賊の娘ローニャ, Hepburn : Sanzoku no Musume Rōnya ) is a Japanese animated television series, also based on Lindgren's novel Ronia, the Robber's Daughter , and directed and storyboarded by Gorō Miyazaki . The lives of numerous Indian highwaymen including Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker , Ithikkara Pakki , Jambulingam Nadar , Kayamkulam Kochunni and Papadu have been adapted for cinema and television multiple times. Season two, episode 20, of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated ,
3294-447: A gaolbreak, the charges were dropped on 5 March 1739. About a month after "Palmer" had been moved to York Castle, Thomas Creasy, the owner of the three horses stolen by Turpin, managed to track them down and recover them, and it was for these thefts that he was eventually tried. From his cell, Turpin wrote to his brother-in-law, Pompr Rivernall, who also lived at Hempstead. Rivernall was married to Turpin's sister, Dorothy. The letter
3477-432: A general name for this kind of publication. In the later 19th century, highwaymen such as Dick Turpin were the heroes of a number of penny dreadfuls , stories for boys published in serial form. In the 20th century the handsome highwayman became a stock character in historical love romances, including books by Baroness Orczy and Georgette Heyer . Sir Walter Scott 's romance The Heart of Midlothian (1818) recounts
3660-595: A good. Itinerant barbers often amassed important sources of information and news as they travelled, and sold significant pieces of information to those who offered money. Often, such information was sold to criminals in search of places to hide or individuals to rob. In this way, itinerant barbers also served the role as a keeper of information that could be sold both to members of the criminal underground and to powerful clients. Fences not only sold stolen goods but were also occasionally involved in human trafficking hostages that bandits had kidnapped. Women and children were
3843-424: A greater risk of the thief being caught. As well, selling stolen goods takes a great deal of time and effort ( transaction costs ), as the thief would have to try to contact a number of potential buyers and show them the merchandise. Some habitual thieves are so well known to police that if the thief were to attempt to sell any used goods , this would quickly draw the attention of law enforcement. The fence disguises
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#17328519791034026-429: A high price, children were sold regardless of their physical appearance or family background. Young boys were often sold as servants or entertainers, while young girls were often sold as prostitutes. As with merchants of honest goods, one of the most significant tools of a fence was their network of connections. As the middlemen between robbers and clients, fences needed to form and maintain widespread connections in both
4209-425: A high-quality item for a low price, in cash, from a stranger at a bar or from the back of a van, there is a higher likelihood that the items may be stolen. On the other hand, if a purchaser buys the same high-quality item for the standard retail price from a used goods store, and obtains a proper receipt, the purchaser may reasonably believe that the item is not stolen (even if, in fact, it is a stolen item). E-fencing
4392-419: A higher level are the "master fences", who do not deal with street-level thieves, but only with other fences. Research on fences shows that they view themselves as entrepreneurs, relying on networking with and patronage by prominent criminals to become successful in their word-of-mouth-based "wheeling and dealing." They occupy the middle ground between the criminal world (thieves, burglars, and shoplifters) and
4575-630: A highwayman spoof in Carry On Dick (1974). Monty Python sent up the highwayman legends in the Dennis Moore sketch in Episode 37 of Monty Python's Flying Circus , in which John Cleese played the titular criminal who stole only lupins . In a linking sketch in an episode of Not the Nine O'Clock News a highwayman holds up a stagecoach with pistols – in order to wash the coach in exchange for small monies in
4758-561: A horse near Waltham Forest. Its owner, Joseph Major, reported the theft to Richard Bayes, landlord of the Green Man public house at Leytonstone . Bayes (who later wrote a biography of Turpin), tracked the horse to the Red Lion at Whitechapel. Major identified the animal, but as it was late evening and the horses had not yet been collected by their owners, they elected to hold a vigil. John King (Matthew King's brother) arrived late that night, and
4941-460: A horse thief, "Palmer" was imprisoned in York Castle , to be tried at the next assizes . Turpin's true identity was revealed by a letter he wrote to his brother-in-law from his prison cell, which fell into the hands of the authorities. On 22 March 1739, Turpin was found guilty on two charges of horse theft and sentenced to death. He was hanged at Knavesmire on 7 April 1739. Turpin became
5124-479: A keeper and his family, in 1733 the government increased the reward to £50 (equivalent to £10,489 in 2023). The Essex gang (sometimes called the Gregory Gang), which included Samuel Gregory, his brothers Jeremiah and Jasper, Joseph Rose, Mary Brazier (the gang's fence ), John Jones, Thomas Rowden and a young John Wheeler, needed contacts to help them to dispose of the deer. Turpin, a young butcher who traded in
5307-632: A light coloured wig". An E-FIT of Turpin, created from such reports, was published by the Castle Museum in York in 2009. Turpin is best known for his exploits as a highwayman, but before his execution the only contemporary report of him as such was in June 1737, when a broadsheet entitled "News news: great and wonderful news from London in an uproar or a hue and cry after the Great Turpin, with his escape into Ireland"
5490-401: A low profit margin in order to reduce their risks by instantly "washing their hands" of illicitly gotten loot (such as black market goods) and disassociating from the criminal act that procured it. After sales, fences recoup their investment by disguising the stolen nature of the goods (via methods such as repackaging and altering/effacing serial numbers ) and reselling the goods as near to
5673-576: A low sum far below market value for stolen goods to bandits, and resold the goods to earn a profit. Two different Ming Laws, the Da Ming Lü 大明律 and the Da Gao 大诰, drafted by the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, sentenced fences to different penalties based on the category and value of the products that were stolen. In coastal regions, illegal trading with foreigners, as well as smuggling became
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5856-509: A man called Robert Nott. Turpin arranged the meeting by letter, which was intercepted by the authorities. While Turpin escaped to Cambridge , the others were arrested on charges of "violent suspicion of being dangerous rogues and robbing upon the highway". They were imprisoned at Hertford gaol, although the women were later acquitted (Nott was released at the next Assize). Although one report late in March suggests, unusually, that Turpin alone robbed
6039-551: A mob. The body was recovered and reburied, supposedly this time with quicklime . Turpin's body is purported to lie in St George's graveyard, although some doubt persists as to the grave's authenticity. Some of the Turpin legend can be sourced directly to Richard Bayes' The Genuine History of the Life of Richard Turpin (1739), a mixture of fact and fiction hurriedly put together in the wake of
6222-418: A new frock coat and shoes, and on the day before his execution hired five mourners for three pounds and ten shillings to be shared between them. On 7 April 1739, followed by his mourners, Turpin and John Stead (a horse thief) were taken through York by open cart to Knavesmire , which was then the city's equivalent of London's Tyburn gallows . Turpin "behav'd himself with amazing assurance", and "bow'd to
6405-417: A notorious but unremarkable figure was not considered sufficiently important to be immortalised. An engraving in one edition of Bayes' 1739 publication, of a man hiding in a cave, is sometimes supposed to be him, but the closest description that exists is that given by John Wheeler, of "a fresh coloured man, very much marked with the small pox, about five feet nine inches high ... wears a blue grey coat and
6588-511: A report of "four suspicious men" being driven away from an alehouse at East Sheen appeared in a newspaper, and was likely describing Gregory and his companions, but the remaining members of the Essex gang were not reported again until 30 March, when three of them (unsuccessfully) tried to steal a horse from a servant of the Earl of Suffolk. Turpin was present with four of the gang at another robbery, reported on 8 March. Jasper Gregory meanwhile
6771-482: A romantic encounter between a highwayman and his female victim. In the end, the highwayman is hanged over the objections of his victim. Musician Jimmy Webb penned and recorded a song entitled " Highwayman " in 1977 about a soul with incarnations in four different places in time and history, a highwayman, a sailor , a construction worker on the Hoover Dam , and finally as a star ship captain . Glen Campbell recorded
6954-470: A romantic image to these armed and usually mounted robbers. Several of the betyárs have become legendary figures who in the public mind fought for social justice. Hungarian betyárs included Jóska Sobri , Márton Vidróczki, András Juhász, Bandi Angyal, Pista Sisa, Jóska Savanyú. Juraj Jánošík ( Hungarian : Jánosik György ), who was born and operated in Upper Hungary (now Slovakia ), is still regarded as
7137-477: A rudimentary education and, although no records survive of the date of the union, that in about 1725 he married Elizabeth Millington. Following his apprenticeship they moved north to Buckhurst Hill , Essex, where Turpin opened a butcher's shop. Turpin most likely became involved with the Essex gang of deer thieves in the early 1730s. Deer poaching had long been endemic in the Royal Forest of Waltham , and in 1723
7320-406: A safety layer against effective prosecution. A victim of theft was often willing to pay in order to get their goods back, in order to spare themselve further troubles and/or if the items taken had the potential to reveal unflattering details about their personal affairs. In addition to that, for many centuries, prosecution in England was entirely at the expense (of personal money, time, and effort) of
7503-466: A shoulder of mutton, intending to stay for the night. However, a man named Palmer recognised them, and called for the parish constable. A fracas ensued, during which the two thieves escaped. They rejoined Turpin, and along with Jones and Rowden may have travelled to Gravesend before returning to Woodford. Another robbery was reported at Woodford toward the end of February—possibly by Gregory and his cohorts—but with most avenues of escape cut off, and with
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7686-406: A silver tankard, and other plate, and all manner of household goods. They afterwards went into the cellar and drank several bottles of ale and wine, and broiled some meat, ate the relicts of a fillet of veal &c. While they were doing this, two of their gang went to Mr Turkles, a farmer's, who rents one end of the widow's house, and robbed him of above £20 and then they all went off, taking two of
7869-519: A soldier's waistcoat and breeches . I put the bayonet aside, and gave him my silver, about three or four shillings ." Victims of highwaymen included the Prime Minister Lord North , who wrote in 1774: "I was robbed last night as I expected, our loss was not great, but as the postilion did not stop immediately one of the two highwaymen fired at him (They had guns at the time) – It was at the end of Gunnersbury Lane." Horace Walpole , who
8052-413: A steady income from her activity. The same governess protects and offers refuge to her affiliates whenever possible, or recruits thieves into small groups, always via middlemen, in order to protect their thieves' identities in case some of them were caught and willing to confess. She is also a main intelligence source and often a direct instigator to theft, such as in a case of fire in a well-off house in
8235-626: A thief, and eventually taught her the basics of thievery, redirecting Moll to work with other senior thieves. Defoe shows how crucial as well as subtle receiving was in building the whole of crime activity in London. The Governess is officially a pawnbroker, and she uses this legal business to also sell stolen goods. Sometimes, such as in the case of a silver inscribed mug stolen by Moll, she smelts metals, in order to avoid getting caught while re-selling. Along with receiving activity, she actively protects and supports many criminals and thieves in order to secure
8418-670: A thing of the past in England. The bandits in Greece under Ottoman rule were the Klephts (κλέφτες), Greeks who had taken refuge in the inaccessible mountains. The klephts, who acted as a guerilla force, were instrumental in the Greek War of Independence . The highwaymen of the 17th- to 19th-century Kingdom of Hungary were the betyárs ( Slovak : zbojník ). Until the 1830s they were mainly simply regarded as criminals but an increasing public appetite for betyar songs, ballads and stories gradually gave
8601-591: A variety of social backgrounds interacted. Brothels also helped bandits to hide and sell stolen goods because of the special Ming Law that exempted brothels from being held responsible “for the criminal actions of their clients.” Although the government required brothel owners to report any suspicious activity, the lack of government enforcement as well as the motivation of owners to make an extra income from fencing led brothels to become safe houses for bandits and gangs. Pawnshops were also affiliated with fencing stolen goods. The owners or employees of such shops often paid
8784-416: A verdict category of guilty. The 1718 Transportation Act also criminalised returning goods for a fee, which reveals that by then, receiving had already been taken to the next stage: returning goods to their owner, for a fee, instead of selling them in the second-hand market. Thieves could in this way act as go-betweens themselves, but go-betweens could raise some suspicions, whereas relying on receivers added
8967-442: A version of the song in 1978, but the most popular incarnation of the song was recorded by Willie Nelson , Kris Kristofferson , Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash in 1984, who as a group called themselves The Highwaymen . The Canadian singer Loreena McKennit adapted the narrative poem, " The Highwayman " written by Alfred Noyes , as a song by the same title in her 1997 album The Book of Secrets . The Carry On films included
9150-543: Is Captain Macheath , hero of John Gay 's 18th-century ballad opera The Beggar's Opera . The legend of Dick Turpin was significantly boosted by Rookwood (1834), in which a heavily fictionalised Turpin is one of the main characters. Alfred Noyes 's narrative poem " The Highwayman " has been immensely popular ever since its publication in 1906. A number of traditional folk songs about highwaymen exist, both positive and negative, such as " Young Morgan ", " Whiskey in
9333-519: Is alive that can hurt him [...] Anonymous letter, General Evening Post (8 March 1739) Although there was some question as to where the trial should be held—the Duke of Newcastle wanted him tried in London—Turpin was tried at York Assizes. Proceedings began three days after the winter Assizes opened, on 22 March. Turpin was charged with the theft of Creasy's horses: a mare worth three pounds,
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#17328519791039516-493: Is also known for a fictional 200-mile (320 km) overnight ride from London to York on his horse Black Bess, a story that was made famous by the Victorian novelist William Harrison Ainsworth almost 100 years after Turpin's death. Turpin's involvement in the crime with which he is most closely associated—highway robbery—followed the arrest of the other members of his gang in 1735. He then disappeared from public view towards
9699-667: Is an old kind of criminal, historically attested in many countries, and with deep and complex dynamics within society. Receiving was a widespread crime in Modern England and a concern for the English government of that period. It involved many other kinds of activities and crimes, and it saw its peak in the early 18th century with the notorious Jonathan Wild . Receiving is intrinsically connected to theft, as receivers, by definition, buy previously stolen goods in order to make profit out of them later. When organised theft grew in London thanks to
9882-500: Is by their level of involvement in buying and selling stolen goods; for some, fencing is an occasional "sideline" activity, while it is an economic mainstay for others. At the lowest level, a hustler or drug dealer may occasionally accept stolen goods. At the highest level would be a fence whose main criminal income comes from buying and selling stolen items. Two tiers of fences can be distinguished: The lower level of fences are those who directly buy stolen goods from thieves and burglars. At
10065-473: Is demonstrated by the career of Charles Hitchen , who was known as a thief-taker. He bought off the position of Under City Marshal with his wife's money in order to have one of the best positions amongst the thief-takers of the City. However, a vast part of his income came from the receiving activity related to the network of connections with London's underworld. Hitchen controlled this network through his official (that
10248-411: Is mentioned in trial reports from the mid-18th century: Evidence of John Mawson: "As I was coming home, in company with Mr. Andrews, within two fields of the new road that is by the gate-house of Lord Baltimore , we were met by two men; they attacked us both: the man who attacked me I have never seen since. He clapped a bayonet to my breast, and said, with an oath, Your money, or your life! He had on
10431-531: Is now the Roman Catholic St George's Church . On the Tuesday following the burial, the corpse was reportedly stolen by body-snatchers . The theft of cadavers for medical research was a common enough occurrence, and was possibly tolerated by the authorities in York. The practice was however unpopular with the general public, and the body-snatchers, together with Turpin's corpse, were soon apprehended by
10614-423: Is reflected in the ballads written about Turpin, the earliest of which, Dick Turpin , would appear to have been published in 1737. Later ballads presented Turpin as an 18th-century Robin Hood figure: "Turpin was caught and his trial was passed, and for a game cock he died at last. Five hundred pounds he gave so free, all to Jack Ketch as a small legacy." Stories about Turpin continued to be published well into
10797-569: Is regarded as an English folk hero . Later robber heroes included the Cavalier highwayman James Hind ; the French -born gentleman highwayman Claude Du Vall ; John Nevison ; Dick Turpin ; Sixteen String Jack ; William Plunkett and his partner, the "Gentleman Highwayman" James MacLaine ; the Slovak Juraj Jánošík ; and Indians including Kayamkulam Kochunni , Veerappan , and Phoolan Devi . In
10980-425: Is the case with the word fence and its derivatives when used in its other common meanings (i.e. as a type of barrier or enclosure, and also as a sport ), the word in this context is derived from the word defence . Among criminals, the fence originated in thieves' slang tracing from the notion of such transactions providing a "defence" against being caught. Thieves who patronise fences are willing to accept
11163-497: Is the sale of items on the Internet that have been obtained illegally. There are some key differences between "e-fencing" and traditional fencing. Both involve fraudulently obtained goods and/or services being bought and sold in transactions involving a minimum of three distinct parties, usually understood to be the thief who stole the goods, the fence who acts as an intermediary, and the final purchaser. With traditional fencing, typically,
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#173285197910311346-437: Is to say, legal) position as a thief-taker. The synergy between receiving, theft, and corruption, as well as official activities such as thief-taking or pawnbroking was a huge dynamic bond where each element enhanced the others in a vicious circle. The master of this powerful synergy of London underworld was Jonathan Wild , who replaced his previous master, Charles Hitchen, in 1713, and gained control of London's crime and
11529-482: The 1718 Transportation Act , which, together with other measures, made fences main felons and not simply accessories to other felonies. Nonetheless, it was not easy to prove that a dealer knowingly accepted stolen goods, especially without the related theft event being fully cleared out. There are 5,664 proceedings stored in the Old Bailey Online archive where the offence category is receiving. Of these, 1,973 have
11712-465: The Black Act (so called because it outlawed the blackening or disguising of faces while in the forests) was enacted to deal with such problems. Deer stealing was a domestic offence that was judged not in civil courts, but before justices of the peace ; it was not until 1737 that the more severe penalty of seven years' transportation was introduced. However, in 1731 seven verderers became so concerned by
11895-721: The Hajduks (Hajduci, Хајдуци, Хайдути), rebels who opposed Ottoman rule and acted as a guerilla force, also instrumental in the many wars against the Ottomans, especially the Serbian revolution . Serbian and Croatian refugees in Austro-Hungarian (and Habsburg) lands were also part of the Uskoci . Notable freedom fighters include Starina Novak , a notable outlaw was Jovo Stanisavljević Čaruga . In medieval Vlachia, Moldavia , Transylvania, and Ukraine,
12078-549: The Inclosure Act of 1773 was followed by a sharp decline in highway robberies; stone walls falling over the open range like a net, confined the escaping highwaymen to the roads themselves, which now had walls on both sides and were better patrolled. The dramatic population increase which began with the Industrial Revolution also meant, quite simply, that there were more eyes around, and the concept of remote place became
12261-522: The Middlesex General Session between 26 February and 1 March 1735. Turpin and Gregory were also named on the indictments for burglary. Walker died while still in Newgate Prison , but the remaining three were hanged at Tyburn gallows on 10 March, before their bodies were hung to rot in gibbets on Edgware Road . Walker's body was hung in chains. Two days before the hanging,
12444-509: The Old Bailey Online archive where the offence category is receiving. Of these, 1,858, nearly one-third, have a defendant gender category of female. The growth of the crime of receiving in Early Modern society, combined with the increasing interest of society on reading, led to depictions of the crime in the works of writers such as Daniel Defoe 's Moll Flanders and John Gay 's The Beggar's Opera . The novel Moll Flanders narrates
12627-644: The Serbs , Bosnians and Croats settling in the region). By the end of the 16th century, they had developed into a significant military force. They developed their own military organisation, separate from the ranks established in the country - they chose their own commanders, captains, lieutenants and corporals. Their rights were later taken away by the Austrians after the defeat of the Rákóczi's War of Independence , fearing their military power, they forced them into serfdom, so this
12810-406: The market price as possible without drawing suspicion. This process often relies on a legal business (such as a pawnshop , flea market , or street vendor ) in order to " launder " the stolen goods by intermixing them with legally-obtained items of the same type. Fencing is illegal in all countries, but legally proving a violation of anti-fencing laws can be difficult. The fence, or receiver,
12993-479: The railways is sometimes cited as a factor, but highwaymen were already obsolete before the railway network was built. The expansion of the system of turnpikes , manned and gated toll-roads , made it all but impossible for a highwayman to escape notice while making his getaway, but he could easily avoid such systems and use other roads, almost all of which outside the cities were flanked by open country. Cities such as London were becoming much better policed: in 1805
13176-451: The 20th century, and the legend was also transferred to the stage and film. In 1845 the playwright George Dibdin Pitt recreated the most notable "facts" of Turpin's life, and in 1846 Marie Tussaud added a wax sculpture of Turpin to her collection at Madame Tussauds . Astley's Amphitheatre put on a hippodrama of Dick Turpin's Ride to York. In 1906 actor Fred Ginnett wrote and starred in
13359-857: The Defias Highwaymen, the strongest members of the Defias Brotherhood. In Darkest Dungeon the Highwayman is a class of hero who wields a dirk and flintlock to fight. In Runescape , highwaymen attack lower-leveled players on a route between two cities. In Bushido Blade 2 there is a playable character named Highwayman who is dressed in Victorian clothing and represents the hero archetype. In Bloodborne many articles of clothing obtained by "The Hunter" are inspired by Highwaymen attire. [REDACTED] Media related to Highwaymen at Wikimedia Commons Fence (criminal) A fence , also known as
13542-763: The Ferry Inn at Brough , under the alias of John Palmer (or Parmen). Travelling across the River Humber between the historic counties of the East Riding of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire , he posed as a horse trader, and often hunted alongside local gentlemen. On 2 October 1738 Turpin shot another man's game cock in the street. While being rebuked by John Robinson, he then threatened to shoot him also. Three East Riding justices (JPs), George Crowle ( Member of Parliament for Hull ), Hugh Bethell, and Marmaduke Constable, travelled to Brough and took written depositions about
13725-612: The Haiduks (Romanian – Haiduci, Ukrainian – Гайдуки, Haiduky ) were bandits and deserters who lived in forests and robbed local Boyars or other travelers along roads. Sometimes they would help the poor peasants. In the 1800s, betyárs became common in Hungary. In Shakespeare 's Henry IV, Part 1 Falstaff is a highwayman, and part of the action of the play concerns a robbery committed by him and his companions. Another highwayman in English drama
13908-489: The Indian highwayman Kayamkulam Kochunni was adapted as a comic by Radha M. Nair in the 794th issue of the Indian comic book series, Amar Chitra Katha . There were many broadsheet ballads about highwaymen; these were often written to be sold on the occasion of a famous robber's execution. A number of highwaymen ballads have remained current in oral tradition in England and Ireland. The traditional Irish song " Whiskey in
14091-519: The Jar " tells the story of an Irish highwayman who robs an army captain and includes the lines "I first produced me pistol, then I drew me rapier. Said 'Stand and deliver, for you are a bold deceiver'." The hit single version recorded in 1973 by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy renders this last line "I said 'Stand-oh and deliver, or the devil he may take ya'." The traditional Irish song " The Newry Highwayman " recounts
14274-588: The Jar ", and " The Wild Colonial Boy ". From the early 18th century, collections of short stories of highwaymen and other notorious criminals became very popular. The earliest of these is Captain Alexander Smith's Complete History of the Lives and Robberies of the Most Notorious Highwaymen (1714). Some later collections of this type had the words The Newgate Calendar in their titles and this has become
14457-499: The Shot, though he liv'd a Week after, and gave Turpin the Character of a Coward... Richard Bayes Little is known of Turpin's movements during 1736. He may have travelled to Holland , as various sightings were reported there, but he may also have assumed an alias and disappeared from public view. In February 1737 though, he spent the night at Puckeridge , with his wife, her maid and
14640-600: The Slovak version, and Sándor Rózsa the Hungarian version of Robin Hood in their regions. The Hajduk ( Hungarian : Hajdú) also originated in Hungary. They were formed from large numbers of Hungarians forced out of Syrmia and the Banates (Banate of Srebrenik, Banate of Nándorfehérvár, Banat of Macsó), moving upwards to central Hungary because of the Turkish attacks (they are replaced by
14823-585: The Thuggees murdered a million people between 1740 and 1840. More generally, armed bands known colloquially as " dacoits " have long wreaked havoc on many parts of the country. In recent times this has often served as a way to fund various regional and political insurgencies that includes the Maoist Naxalite movement. Kayamkulam Kochunni was also a famed highwayman who was active in Central Travancore in
15006-509: The Tower of London. In December Jasper and Samuel Gregory, John Jones, and John Wheeler, attacked the home of John Gladwin (a higler ) and John Shockley, in Chingford . On 19 December Turpin and five other men raided the home of Ambrose Skinner, a 73-year-old farmer from Barking , leaving with an estimated £300 (equivalent to £61,190 in 2023). Two days later, the gang—minus Turpin—attacked
15189-429: The actual source of the stolen goods is discovered they can plausibly deny any knowledge of such illegal activity. Thus, while one fence's salvage yard may consist mainly of stolen auto parts, another fence's used goods store might consist mainly of legitimately purchased used goods, with the stolen merchandise acting as a minor, but profitable, sideline. Thieves agree to use fences because their alternatives may present
15372-536: The area, almost certainly became involved with their activities. By 1733 the changing fortunes of the gang may have prompted him to leave the butchery trade, and he became the landlord of a public house, most likely the Rose and Crown at Clay Hill . Although there is no evidence to suggest that Turpin was directly involved in the thefts, by summer 1734 he was a close associate of the gang, which may indicate that he had been known to them for some time. By October 1734 several in
15555-539: The authorities hunting them down, the remaining members of the Essex gang kept their heads down and remained under cover, probably in Epping Forest. Six days after the arrest of Fielder, Saunders, and Wheeler – just as Turpin and his associates were returning from Gravesend – Rose, Brazier, and Walker were captured at a chandler's shop in Westminster, while drinking punch . Fielder, Rose, Saunders and Walker were tried at
15738-546: The belief that Turpin lurked in nearby Hounslow Heath . Highwayman A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads. Such criminals operated until the mid- or late 19th century. Highwaywomen , such as Katherine Ferrers , were said to also exist, often dressing as men, especially in fiction. The first attestation of
15921-668: The bosoms of so many knights of the road; with him died away that passionate love of enterprise, that high spirit of devotion to the fair sex, which was first breathed upon the highway by the gay, gallant Claude Du-Val, the Bayard of the road— Le filou sans peur et sans reproche —but which was extinguished at last by the cord that tied the heroic Turpin to the remorseless tree. William Harrison Ainsworth , Rookwood (1834) Ainsworth's tale of Turpin's overnight journey from London to York on his mare Black Bess has its origins in an episode recorded by Daniel Defoe , in his 1727 work A tour thro'
16104-425: The causes of the decline are more controversial. After about 1815, mounted robbers are recorded only rarely, the last recorded robbery by a mounted highwayman having occurred in 1831. The decline in highwayman activity also occurred during the period in which repeating handguns, notably the pepper-box and the percussion revolver, became increasingly available and affordable to the average citizen. The development of
16287-504: The conviction of the "several persons" involved in the two Woodford robberies, and the robberies of the widow Shelley and Reverend Dyde. On 11 February Fielder, Saunders, and Wheeler, were apprehended. Two accounts of their capture exist. One claims that on their way to rob the Lawrence household the gang had stopped at an alehouse in Edgware, and that on 11 February, while out walking,
16470-461: The court that he had bought the mare and foal from an inn-keeper near Heckington. He repeated his original story of how he had come to use the pseudonym Palmer, claiming that it was his mother's maiden name. When asked by the judge for his name before he came to Lincolnshire, he said "Turpin". Without leaving the courtroom the jury found Turpin guilty of the first charge of stealing the mare and foal, and following further proceedings, guilty of stealing
16653-478: The crime he became most noted for— highway robbery . Although he may have been involved in earlier highway robberies on 10 and 12 April, he was first identified as a suspect in one event on 10 July, as "Turpin the butcher", along with Thomas Rowden, "the pewterer". Several days later the two struck at Epping Forest, depriving a man from Southwark of his belongings. With a further bounty of £100 on their heads they continued their activities through
16836-488: The date was also incorrect; the offences were in August 1738. Presiding over the trial was Sir William Chapple , a senior and respected judge in his early sixties. The prosecution was directed by King's Counsel Thomas Place and Richard Crowle (brother of George), and proceedings were recorded by a York resident, Thomas Kyll. Turpin had no defence barrister; during this period of English history, for those accused of felonies it
17019-662: The deeds and death of a highwayman who robbed "the lords and ladies bright". The traditional Irish song "Brennan on the Moor" describes an escapade of the "bold, undaunted robber". Adam and the Ants had a number one song for five weeks in 1981 in the UK with " Stand and Deliver ". The video featured Adam Ant as an English highwayman. The contemporary folk song "On the Road to Fairfax County" by David Massengill , recorded by The Roches and by Joan Baez , recounts
17202-479: The dismissal of provincial commissioner, Zhu Wan, but also eventually “[drove] him to suicide”. It was also essential for fences to maintain a relationship with bandits in order to protect their livelihood. However, it was just as true that bandits needed fences to make a living. As a result, fences often held dominance in their relationship with bandits. Taking advantage of their dominance in their relationships with bandits, fences also cheated bandits by manipulating
17385-528: The early 19th century. Along with his close friend Ithikkarappkki from the nearby Ithikkara village, he is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. With the help of an Ezhava warrior called Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker , Kochunni was arrested and sent to Poojappura Central Jail. Legends of his works are compiled in folklore and are still read and heard today. The bandits in Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and Bulgaria under Ottoman rule, and in Hungary were
17568-452: The easiest to sell and among the most common "objects" the fences sold. Most female hostages were sold to fences and then sold as prostitutes , wives, or concubines. One example of human trafficking comes from Chen Akuei's gang, who abducted a servant girl and sold her to Lin Baimao, who in turn sold her as a wife for thirty pieces of silver. In contrast to women who required beauty to sell for
17751-456: The end of that year, only to resurface in 1737 with two new accomplices, one of whom Turpin may have accidentally shot and killed. Turpin fled from the scene and shortly afterwards killed a man who attempted his capture. Later that year, he moved to Yorkshire and assumed the alias of John Palmer. While he was staying at an inn, local magistrates became suspicious of "Palmer" and made enquiries as to how he funded his lifestyle. Suspected of being
17934-476: The farmer's horses, to carry off their luggage, the horses were found on Sunday the following morning in Old Street, and stayed about three hours in the house. The gang lived in or around London. For a time Turpin stayed at Whitechapel, before moving to Millbank . On 4 February 1735 he met John Fielder, Samuel Gregory, Joseph Rose, and John Wheeler, at an inn along The Broadway in London. They planned to rob
18117-519: The fence a portion of the spoils. Butchers received stolen animals because owners could no longer recognise their livestock after the animal had been slaughtered. Animals were very valuable commodities within Ming China, and a robber could potentially sustain a living from stealing livestock and selling them to butcher-fences. Although fences usually worked with physical stolen property, fences who also worked as itinerant barbers also sold information as
18300-409: The film Dick Turpin's Last Ride to York . Dick Turpin's Ride to York is a 1922 British historical silent film drama directed by Maurice Elvey, the first feature-length film of the story. It was for many years assumed by film historians to be completely lost , but two reels were rediscovered in 2003. Other silent versions appeared for the silver screen, and some adaptations even moulded Turpin into
18483-523: The first artificially lit highway in Britain. The penalty for robbery with violence was hanging , and most notorious English highwaymen ended on the gallows . The chief place of execution for London and Middlesex was Tyburn Tree . Highwaymen whose lives ended there include Claude Du Vall , James MacLaine , and Sixteen-string Jack . Highwaymen who went to the gallows laughing and joking, or at least showing no fear, are said to have been admired by many of
18666-507: The following month the same newspapers retracted this claim, and stated that Bayes had fired the fatal shot. The shooting of King, however, preceded an event that changed Turpin's life significantly. He escaped to a hideaway in Epping Forest, where he was seen by Thomas Morris, a servant of one of the Forest's Keepers. Turpin shot and killed Morris on 4 May with a carbine when, armed with pistols, Morris attempted to capture him. The shooting
18849-615: The forest. The Dutch comics series Gilles de Geus by Hanco Kolk and Peter de Wit was originally a gag-a-day about a failed highwayman called Gilles, but the character later evolved into a resistance fighter with the Geuzen against the Spanish army. Ithikkara Pakki , a graphic children's story book about the Indian highwayman Ithikkara Pakki , was published in April 2010 in Malayalam . The life of
19032-628: The fourth episode of the animated mini-series, Over the Garden Wall , Songs of the Dark Lantern . The highwayman known as Juraj Jánošík (1688–1713) became a hero of many folk legends in the Slovak , Czech, and Polish cultures by the 19th century and hundreds of literary works about him have since been published. The first Slovak feature film was Jánošík , made in 1921, followed by seven more Slovak and Polish films about him . Curro Jiménez ,
19215-406: The fringes of respectable society." Fences often worked alongside bandits in a network of criminal accomplices that was essential to ensuring both the safety and the success of fences. The path into the occupation of a fence stemmed, to a large degree, from necessity. As most fences came from the ranks of poorer people, they often took whatever work they could—both legal and illegal. Working as
19398-497: The gang escaped with a haul of less than £30 (equivalent to £5,954 in 2023). Three days later Turpin, accompanied by the same men along with William Saunders and Humphrey Walker, brutally raided a farm in Marylebone . The attack netted the gang just under £90 (equivalent to £17,862 in 2023). The next day the Duke of Newcastle offered a reward of £50 (equivalent to £9,923 in 2023) in exchange for information leading to
19581-522: The gang had either been captured or had fled, and the remaining members moved away from poaching, raiding the home of a chandler and grocer named Peter Split, at Woodford . Although the identities of the perpetrators are unknown, Turpin may have been involved. Two nights later they struck again, at the Woodford home of a gentleman named Richard Woolridge, a Furnisher of Small Arms in the Office of Ordnance at
19764-499: The gang. In the same month two men, possibly from the same gang, raided the home of a Reverend Mr. Dyde. The clergyman was absent but the two cut his manservant around the face "in a barbarous manner". Another brutal attack occurred on 1 February 1735 at Loughton : On Saturday night last, about seven o'clock, five rogues entered the house of the Widow Shelley at Loughton in Essex, having pistols &c. and threatened to murder
19947-414: The gelding. Throughout the trial Turpin had repeatedly claimed that he had not been allowed enough time to form his defence, that proceedings should be delayed until he could call his witnesses, and that the trial should be held at Essex. Before sentencing him, the judge asked Turpin if he could offer any reason why he should not be sentenced to death; Turpin said: "It is very hard upon me, my Lord, because I
20130-508: The good and sell the individual parts, because the sale of parts is less risky. For example, a stolen car or bicycle may be disassembled so that the parts can be sold individually. Another tactic used by some fences is to retain stolen items for some time before selling them, which lessens the likelihood that the burglary victims or police will be actively looking for the items in auctions and pawnshops. The prices fences pay thieves typically depend both on norms and on legitimate market rates for
20313-400: The hands of strangers, confident in himself and in his own resources, he felt perfectly easy as to the result [...] Turpin was the ultimus Romanorum , the last of a race, which—we were almost about to say we regret—is now altogether extinct. Several successors he had, it is true, but no name worthy to be recorded after his own. With him expired the chivalrous spirit which animated successively
20496-428: The handwriting. He alerted JP Thomas Stubbing, who paid the postage and opened the letter. Smith travelled to York Castle and on 23 February identified Palmer as Turpin. He received the £200 (about £40,000 as of 2023) reward originally offered by the Duke of Newcastle following Turpin's murder of Thomas Morris. a great concourse of people flock to see him, and they all give him money. He seems very sure that nobody
20679-494: The heroine waylaid by highwaymen while travelling from Scotland to London. Ronia, the Robber's Daughter (1981) is a children's fantasy book by Astrid Lindgren , which portrays the adventures of Ronia, the daughter of the leader of a gang of highwaymen. The Belgian comics series Robin Dubois [ de ; fr ; nl ] by Turk and De Groot is a gag-a-day series about Robin Hood 's attempts at robbing travellers in
20862-511: The home of a Keeper, William Mason, at Epping Forest . During the robbery Mason's servant managed to escape, and returned about an hour later with several neighbours, by which time the house was ransacked and the thieves long gone. On 11 January 1735 the gang raided the Charlton home of a Mr. Saunders. For the robbery of a gentleman named Sheldon, one week later at Croydon , Turpin arrived masked and armed with pistols, with four other members of
21045-463: The house of Joseph Lawrence, a farmer at Earlsbury Farm in Edgware . Late that afternoon, after stopping twice along the way for food and drink, they captured a shepherd boy and burst into the house, armed with pistols. They bound the two maidservants, and brutally attacked the 70-year-old farmer. They pulled his breeches around his ankles, and dragged him around the house, but Lawrence refused to reveal
21228-456: The impetus for 19th-century author William Harrison Ainsworth to include and embellish the exploit in his 1834 novel Rookwood . Ainsworth used Turpin as a plot device, describing him in a manner that makes him more lively than the book's other characters. Turpin is introduced with the pseudonym Palmer, and is later forced to escape on his horse, Black Bess. Although fast enough to keep ahead of those in pursuit, Black Bess eventually dies under
21411-559: The incident. They intended to bind him over , but Turpin refused to pay the required surety , and was committed to the House of Correction at Beverley . Turpin was escorted to Beverley by the parish constable, Carey Gill. He made no attempt at escape; It has been suggested that Turpin may have been depressed about failures in his life. Robert Appleton, Clerk of the Peace for the East Riding, and
21594-467: The increase in activity that they signed an affidavit which demonstrated their worries. The statement was lodged with the Duke of Newcastle , Secretary of State , who responded by offering a £10 (equivalent to £2,082 in 2023) reward to anyone who helped identify the thieves, plus a pardon for those thieves who gave up their colleagues. Following a series of nasty incidents, including the threatened murder of
21777-423: The items in question. Vulnerable sellers, such as drug addicts or casual thieves, may receive less than 20% of an item's value. Higher prices, sometimes as high as 50% of an item's value in a legal market, can be commanded by a professional thief, especially one who has managed to remain relatively unknown to police and/or who concentrates on valuable items. Fences may take advantage of thieves by deceiving them about
21960-508: The ladder, feeling his right leg tremble, he spoke a few words to the topsman, then threw himself off, and expir'd in five minutes." The short drop method of hanging meant that those executed were killed by slow strangulation, and so Turpin was left hanging until late afternoon, before being cut down and taken to a tavern in Castlegate . The next morning, Turpin's body was buried in the graveyard of St George's Church, Fishergate , opposite what
22143-468: The latter half of 1735. In August they robbed five people accompanying a coach on Barnes Common , and shortly after that they attacked another coach party, between Putney and Kingston Hill . On 20 August the pair relieved a Mr Godfrey of six guineas and a pocket book, on Hounslow Heath . Fearing capture, they moved on to Blackheath in Hertfordshire , and then back to London. On 5 December
22326-410: The legitimate world (everyday people who purchase used goods). Some active fences go farther in their business, maintaining longstanding contacts and even teaching thieves how to practice their craft, whether by identifying specific products or by teaching them tools of the trade. The degree to which the purchasers of the stolen goods know or suspect that the items are stolen varies. If a purchaser buys
22509-573: The main roads radiating from London. They usually chose lonely areas of heathland or woodland . Hounslow Heath was a favourite haunt: it was crossed by the roads to Bath and Exeter . Bagshot Heath in Surrey was another dangerous place on the road to Exeter. One of the most notorious places in England was Shooter's Hill on the Great Dover Road . Finchley Common , on the Great North Road ,
22692-538: The main villain (voiced by James Marsters ) disguises himself as a highwayman. In Fable II , Highwaymen appear as an elite type of enemy which works alongside bandits and makes use of speed and agility over brute strength. It is also possible for players to dress as Highwaymen. There is an enemy type in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim called the "bandit highwayman" that acts as one of the higher-level bandit enemies. In World of Warcraft one can encounter
22875-570: The man whose account details the above incident, later reported that the three JPs made enquiries as to how "Palmer" had made his money, suspecting that his lifestyle was funded by criminal activities. Turpin claimed that he was a butcher who had fallen into debt, and that he had levanted from his home in Long Sutton, Lincolnshire . When contacted, the JP at Long Sutton (a Mr Delamere) confirmed that John Palmer had lived there for about nine months, but that he
23058-607: The manner of a modern-day unsolicited car window washer in traffic. In Blackadder the Third , Mr. E. Blackadder turns highwayman in the episode " Amy and Amiability ". In the British children's television series Dick Turpin , starring Richard O'Sullivan , the highwayman was depicted as an 18th-century Robin Hood figure. Additionally the actor Mathew Baynton played Dick Turpin in Horrible Histories . A singing highwayman appears in
23241-487: The markets while working, and formed acquaintances and temporary associations for mutual aid and protection. In one example, an owner of a teahouse overheard the conversation between Deng Yawen, a criminal, and others planning a robbery and offered to help to sell the loot for a portion of the spoils. At times, the robbers themselves filled the role of fences, selling to people they met on the road. This may have been preferable for robbers because they would not have to pay
23424-561: The neighbourhood (more vulnerable to theft because of the sudden emergency), and finally becomes a broker for goods stolen by Moll to a drunken gentleman. In that case, the amount gained is allegedly greater than what she would have gained by standard re-selling in the secondary market. The Governess embodies female social cunning in London's underworld, from Defoe's point of view. She is a typical receiver of her time, and whereas many male receivers used thief-taking as an official business, she relies on pawnbroking. Under traditional Chinese law
23607-401: The old lady, if she would not tell them where her money lay, which she obstinately refusing for some time, they threatened to lay her across the fire, if she did not instantly tell them, which she would not do. But her son being in the room, and threatened to be murdered, cried out, he would tell them, if they would not murder his mother, and did, whereupon they went upstairs, and took near £100,
23790-482: The only innocent and unwitting party is the final purchaser. On the other hand, e-fencing may describe transactions in which there is direct interaction between the original thief and the final purchaser, while the "intermediary" is an online platform. In e-fencing (unlike traditional fencing) the level of culpability on the part of the intermediary platform may vary. On one hand, the platform's operators may be knowingly or recklessly permitting such activity (for instance in
23973-691: The other members of the gang fled their usual haunts. Turpin informed Gregory and the others of Wheeler's capture, and left Westminster . On 15 February 1735, while Wheeler was busy confessing to the authorities, "three or four men" (most likely Samuel Gregory, Herbert Haines, Turpin, and possibly Thomas Rowden) robbed the house of a Mrs St. John at Chingford . On the following day Turpin (and Rowden, if present) parted company with Gregory and Haines, and headed for Hempstead to see his family. Gregory and Haines may have gone looking for Turpin, because on 17 February they stopped at an alehouse in Debden and ordered
24156-653: The owner noticed a group of horses outside an alehouse in Bloomsbury . He recognised these horses as those used by the same group of men who had stopped at his alehouse before the Lawrence attack, and called for the parish constable . Another account claims that two of the gang were spotted by a servant of Joseph Lawrence. Regardless, the three, who were drinking with a woman (possibly Mary Brazier) were promptly arrested and committed to prison. Wheeler, who may have been as young as 15, quickly betrayed his colleagues, and descriptions of those yet to be captured were circulated in
24339-501: The people who came to watch. During the 18th century French rural roads were generally safer from highwaymen than those of England, an advantage credited by the historian Alexis de Tocqueville to the existence of a uniformed and disciplined mounted constabulary known as the Maréchaussée . In England this force was often confused with the regular army and as such cited as an instrument of royal tyranny not to be imitated. In England
24522-462: The press. In The London Gazette , Turpin was described as "Richard Turpin, a butcher by trade, is a tall fresh coloured man, very much marked with the small pox , about 26 years of age, about five feet nine inches high, lived some time ago in Whitechapel and did lately lodge somewhere about Millbank, Westminster, wears a blue grey coat and a natural wig". Once Wheeler's confession became apparent,
24705-565: The prices they paid bandits for stolen property. This was possible because fences often had an official and legal means of making a living, as well as illegal activities, and could threaten to turn bandits in to the authorities. Aside from simply buying and selling stolen goods, fences often played additional roles in the criminal underground of early China. Inns and teahouses became places for bandits and gangs to gather in order to exchange information and plan for their next crime. Harborers (people who provided safe houses for criminals) often played
24888-425: The prosecutor. Therefore, given the difficulty of actually proving receiving in courts, common people, especially shopkeepers, often preferred compounding, feeling that prosecuting was not worth it. This gave a considerable advantage to receivers. In order to effectively act as go-betweens for compounding, or brokerage, fences needed to personally know thieves or have ways to easily interact and bargain with them for
25071-541: The pseudonym of Palmer. In July 1737 he stole a horse from Pinchbeck in Lincolnshire, and took it to visit his father at Hempstead. When Turpin returned to Brough (stealing three horses along the way) he left the gelding with his father. The identity of John Turpin's son was well known, and the horse's identity was soon discovered. On 12 September 1738 therefore, John Turpin was committed to gaol in Essex on charges of horse theft, but following his help in preventing
25254-555: The reward, or use this power to intimidate and command thieves to do their bidding. In exchange for clemency or protection from capture or condemnation, they could have thieves to steal under their command. Indeed, thief-takers could act as direct instigators, supporting their thieves with intelligence or offering them shelter at need (when convenient), and then acting as receivers with the stolen goods. Through parallel occupations , receivers could feed their own business. Confirmation of how thief-taking and receiving were tightly connected
25437-470: The robberies committed by the Essex Gang often contains names that never appeared in contemporary newspaper reports, suggesting, according to author Derek Barlow, that Bayes embellished his story. Bayes' description of Turpin's relationship with "King the Highwayman" is almost certainly fictional. Turpin may have known Matthew King as early as 1734, and had an active association with him from February 1737, but
25620-399: The role of a fence as well, in receiving stolen goods from their harboured criminals to sell to other customers. Safe houses also included brothels and opium dens, as well as gambling parlors, and employees or owners of such institutions often functioned as harborers, as well as fences. These safe houses were located in places where there was a high floating population and where people from
25803-484: The same fame of Wild or Hitchen. However, women had active roles in both receiving and theft. Elizabeth Hitchen gave her inheritance money to her husband Charles in order to buy the Under City Marshal office for his plans. Moreover, women could also be active fences. For example, Elizabeth Fisher managed her own receiving business in her husband's alehouse. As of early 2018 a total of 5,664 proceedings were stored in
25986-490: The same parish where his parents had been married more than ten years earlier. Turpin's father was a butcher and innkeeper. Several stories suggest that Dick Turpin may have followed his father into these trades; one hints that, as a teenager, he was apprenticed to a butcher in the village of Whitechapel , while another proposes that he ran his own butcher's shop in Thaxted . Testimony from his trial in 1739 suggests that he had
26169-819: The same way, the Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresí also came to be venerated as a hero. In the 17th to the early 19th centuries in Ireland , acts of robbery were often part of a tradition of Irish resistance to the English and British authorities and the Protestant Ascendancy . From the mid-17th century onwards, highwaymen who harassed the English authorities were known as 'tories' (from Irish tóraidhe , raider; tóraí in modern spelling ). Later that century, they became known as rapparees . Their ranks included James Freney , Redmond O'Hanlon , Willy Brennan and Jeremiah Grant. English highwaymen often laid in wait on
26352-452: The site of a gallows known as "Hangman's Acre" or "Gallows Green" – Sutton Common , Banstead Downs and Reigate Heath . During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, highwaymen in Hyde Park were sufficiently common for King William III to have the route between St James's Palace and Kensington Palace ( Rotten Row ) lit at night with oil lamps as a precaution against them. This made it
26535-490: The spectators as he passed". He climbed a ladder to the gallows and spoke to his executioner . York had no permanent hangman, and it was the custom to pardon a prisoner on condition that he acted as executioner. On this occasion, the pardoned man was a fellow highwayman, Thomas Hadfield. An account in The Gentleman's Magazine for 7 April 1739 notes Turpin's brashness: "Turpin behaved in an undaunted manner; as he mounted
26718-447: The stolen livestock from the military. Local peasants and other members of the community became fences and hid criminal activities from officials, in exchange for goods or money from soldiers. Most fences were not individuals who only bought and sold stolen goods to make a living. The majority of fences had a variety of legitimate occupations, including labourers and peddlers . Such individuals encountered criminals, for example in
26901-411: The stolen nature of the goods, if possible, so that he or she can sell them closer to the market price. Depending on the stolen item, the fence may attempt to remove, deface, or replace serial numbers on the stolen item before reselling it. In some cases, fences will transport the stolen items to a different city to sell them, because this lessens the likelihood that the items will be recognised. However,
27084-411: The story of the "Gentleman Highwayman" may have been created only to link the end of the Essex gang with the author's own recollection of events. Barlow also views the account of the theft of Turpin's corpse, appended to Thomas Kyll's publication of 1739, as "handled with such delicacy as to amount almost to reverence", and therefore of suspect provenance. No contemporary portrait exists of Turpin, who as
27267-522: The stress of the journey. This scene appealed more to readers than the rest of the work, and as Turpin was depicted as a likeable character who made the life of a criminal seem appealing, the story came to form part of the modern legend surrounding Turpin. The artist Edward Hull capitalised on Ainsworth's story, publishing six prints of notable events in Turpin's career. Rash daring was the main feature of Turpin's character. Like our great Nelson, he knew fear only by name; and when he thus trusted himself in
27450-535: The subject of legend after his execution, romanticised as dashing and heroic in English ballads and popular theatre of the 18th and 19th centuries and in film and television of the 20th century. Richard (Dick) Turpin was born at the Blue Bell Inn (later the Rose and Crown) in Hempstead, Essex , the fifth of six children to John Turpin and Mary Elizabeth Parmenter. He was baptised on 21 September 1705, in
27633-475: The support of receivers, the establishment started to fight it with new laws, often aimed at receivers: receiving was acknowledged as the core of property crime. Receiving was not considered as a felony (crime) in common law until 1691, when fences became potential targets of charges as accessories to theft. This meant that in order to judge a suspected receiver, it was necessary to condemn the related thief first. Later laws further focused on receivers, especially
27816-546: The title of "thief-taker general". His power was due to his ruthless thief-taking and intimidation activities as well as a complex web of intelligence also built around the diffusion of newspapers. However, overly bold receiving was his undoing, as it provoked the English government to promote further laws against receiving and related activities, such as the Transportation Act in 1718, also known as "Jonathan Wild Act", and its extension in 1720, which made returning goods for
27999-449: The trial, to satisfy a gullible public. The speeches of the condemned, biographies of criminals, and trial literature, were popular genres during the late 17th and early 18th centuries; written for a mass audience and a precursor to the modern novel, they were "produced on a scale which beggars comparison with any period before or since". Such literature functioned as news and a "forum in which anxieties about crime, punishment, sin, salvation,
28182-541: The two were seen near Winchester , but in late December, following the capture of John Jones, they separated. Rowden had previously been convicted of counterfeiting , and in July 1736 he was convicted of passing counterfeit coin, under the alias Daniel Crispe. Crispe's true name was eventually discovered and he was transported in June 1738. Jones also suffered transportation, to the Thirteen Colonies . King immediately drew
28365-419: The value of items and the relevant market conditions. For example, a fence may falsely tell a petty thief that the market for the type of good which the thief is selling is flooded with this type of merchandise, to justify paying out a lower price. There are different types of fences. One way to categorise fences is by the type of good in which they trade, such as jewels, power tools, or electronics. Another way
28548-410: The whereabouts of his money. Turpin beat Lawrence's bare buttocks with his pistols, badly bruising him, and other members of the gang beat him around the head with their pistols. They emptied a kettle of water over his head, forced him to sit bare-buttocked on the fire, and pulled him around the house by his nose, and hair. Gregory took one of the maidservants upstairs and raped her. For their trouble,
28731-505: The whole island of Great Britain . After committing a robbery in Kent in 1676, William Nevison apparently rode to York to establish an alibi, and Defoe's account of that journey became part of folk legend. A similar ride was attributed to Turpin as early as 1808, and was being performed on stage by 1819, but the feat as imagined by Ainsworth (about 200 miles in less than a day) is impossible. Nevertheless, Ainsworth's legend of Black Bess
28914-485: The whole life of its protagonist (Moll Flanders), but a relevant part of it is about her becoming a master thief. Moll's activity as a thief relied on the protection and support of her governess, who also acted as a receiver for the goods stolen by her affiliates. She is the one who buys Moll's stolen goods the first time, as Moll narrates "I was now at a loss for a market for my goods... At last I resolved to go to my old governess." The governess character sealed Moll's fate as
29097-415: The wife of Turpin's accomplice, attempted to secure two horses left by Matthew King, at an inn called the Red Lion. The horses were suspected as belonging to "highwaymen" and Elizabeth King was arrested for questioning, but she was later released without charge. Morris's killing unleashed a flood of Turpin reports, and a reward of £200 was offered for his capture. Sometime around June 1737 Turpin boarded at
29280-418: The word highwayman is from 1617. Euphemisms such as "knights of the road" and "gentlemen of the road" were sometimes used by people interested in romanticizing (with a Robin Hood –esque slant) what was often an especially violent form of stealing. In the 19th-century American West, highwaymen were sometimes known as road agents . In Australia, they were known as bushrangers . The great age of highwaymen
29463-520: The workings of providence and social and moral transgression generally could be expressed and negotiated." Bayes' document contains elements of conjecture; for instance, his claim that Turpin was married to a Miss Palmer (and not Elizabeth Millington) is almost certainly incorrect, and the date of Turpin's marriage, for which no documentary evidence has been found, appears to be based solely on Bayes' claim that in 1739 Turpin had married 11 or 12 years earlier. His account of those present during
29646-445: The “polite” society and among criminals. There were cases in which members of “well-respected” society became receivers and harbourers. They not only helped bandits to sell the stolen goods but also acted as agents of the bandits in collecting protection money from local merchants and residents. These "part-time" fences with high social status used their connection with bandits to help themselves gain social capital as well as wealth. It
29829-470: Was transported to the Thirteen Colonies . Herbert Haines was captured on 13 April, and executed in August. John Wheeler, who had been instrumental in proving the cases against his former colleagues, and who was freed, died at Hackney in January 1738. The reason for his death is not recorded, but is assumed to be natural causes. With the Essex gang now smashed by the authorities, Turpin turned instead to
30012-630: Was arrested and found guilty of stealing and selling government salt was put to death. Fencing is often conducted through legal businesses. Some fences maintain a legitimate-seeming "front" through which they can sell stolen merchandise. Depending on the type of stolen merchandise a fence deals in, "front" businesses might be discount stores, used goods stores, coin and gem stores, auction houses , flea markets , or auto salvage yards. The degree of illicit activity in each "front" business differs from fence to fence. Fences will often attempt to mix stolen goods with legitimately-obtained merchandise, so that if
30195-524: Was as English as plum pudding. Force was used not just criminally, but as a matter of routine to achieve social and political goals, smudging hard-and-fast distinctions between the worlds of criminality and politics... Highwaymen were romanticized, with a hidden irony, as 'gentlemen of the road.'" There is a long history of treating highway robbers as heroes. They were admired by many as bold men who confronted their victims face to face and were ready to fight for what they wanted. Medieval outlaw Robin Hood
30378-553: Was captured, and then executed late in March. His brothers were arrested on 9 April in Rake, West Sussex , after a struggle during which Samuel lost the tip of his nose to a sword, and Jeremy was shot in the leg. He died in Winchester gaol ; Samuel was tried in May, and executed on 4 June. His body was later moved, to hang in chains alongside those of his colleagues at Edgware. Mary Brazier
30561-605: Was costly to find legal representation, their interests were cared for by the presiding judge. Among the seven witnesses called to testify were Thomas Creasy, and James Smith, the man who had recognised Turpin's handwriting. Turpin offered little in the way of questioning his accusers; when asked if he had anything to ask of Creasy, he replied "I cannot say anything, for I have not any witnesses come this day, as I have expected, and therefore beg of your Lordship to put off my trial 'till another day", and when asked about Smith, he claimed not to know him. When questioned himself, Turpin told
30744-484: Was important for fences to maintain a positive relationship with their customers, especially their richer gentry clients. When some members of the local elites joined the ranks of fences, they not only protected bandits to protect their own business interests, but they actively took down any potential threats to their illegal profiting, even government officials . In the Zhejiang Province , local elites not only caused
30927-486: Was in use from the 17th century to the 19th century: A fellow of a good Name, but poor Condition, and worse Quality, was Convicted for laying an Embargo on a man whom he met on the Road, by bidding him Stand and Deliver, but to little purpose; for the Traveller had no more Money than a Capuchin , but told him, all the treasure he had was a pound of Tobacco, which he civilly surrendered. The phrase "Your money or your life!"
31110-469: Was kept at the local post office, but seeing the York post stamp Rivernall refused to pay the delivery charge, claiming that he "had no correspondent at York". Rivernall may not have wanted to pay the charge for the letter, or he may have wished to distance himself from Turpin's affairs. The letter was then moved to the post office at Saffron Walden where James Smith, who had taught his younger schoolmate Turpin how to write while they were at school, recognised
31293-638: Was nearly as bad. To the south of London, highwaymen sought to attack wealthy travellers on the roads leading to and from the Channel ports and aristocratic arenas like Epsom , which became a fashionable spa town in 1620, and Banstead Downs where horse races and sporting events became popular with the elite from 1625. Later in the 18th century the road from London to Reigate and Brighton through Sutton attracted highwaymen. Commons and heaths considered to be dangerous included Blackheath , Putney Heath , Streatham Common , Mitcham Common , Thornton Heath – also
31476-495: Was not prepar'd for my Defence." The judge replied: "Why was you not? You knew the Time of the Assizes as well as any Person here." Despite Turpin's pleas that he had been told the trial would be held in Essex, the judge replied: "Whoever told you so were highly to blame; and as your country have found you guilty of a crime worthy of death, it is my office to pronounce sentence against you", sentencing him to death. Before his execution, Turpin frequently received visitors (the gaoler
31659-403: Was published. Although some highwaymen of the seventeenth century had become the subject of chapbooks , names such as James Hind , Claude Duval and William Nevison , are not nearly as well-known today as the legend of Dick Turpin, whose fictionalised exploits first began to appear around the turn of the 19th century. It was, however, the story of a fabled ride from London to York that provided
31842-613: Was quickly apprehended by the party, which included the local constable. John King told him the whereabouts of Matthew King, who was waiting nearby. During the resulting mêlée, Matthew King was wounded by gunfire, and died on 19 May. Potter was later caught, but at his trial was released for lack of evidence against him. Bayes' statement regarding the death of Matthew King may have been heavily embellished. Several reports, including Turpin's own account, offer different versions of what actually happened on that night early in May 1737; early reports claimed that Turpin had shot King, however by
32025-415: Was recorded of a robber stealing and selling military horses. The emperor himself gave orders that the thieves who had stolen the horses and the people who had helped to sell the horses would be put on a cangue and sent to labour in a border military camp. In salt mines, the penalty for workers who stole and/or sold salt was the most severe. Because of the enormous value of salt in Ming China, anyone who
32208-463: Was repeated in works such as Black Bess or the Knight of the Road , a 254-part penny dreadful published in 1867–68. In these tales, Turpin was the hero, accompanied by his trusty colleagues Claude Duval, Tom King, and Jack Rann. These narratives, which transformed Turpin from a pockmarked thug and murderer into "a gentleman of the road [and] a protector of the weak", followed a popular cultural tradition of romanticising English criminals. This practice
32391-410: Was reported in The Gentleman's Magazine : It having been represented to the King , that Richard Turpin did on Wednesday the 4th of May last, barbarously murder Thomas Morris , Servant to Henry Tomson , one of the Keepers of Epping-Forest , and commit other notorious Felonies and Robberies near London , his Majesty is pleased to promise his most gracious Pardon to any of his Accomplices, and
32574-399: Was reputed to have earned £100 from selling drinks to Turpin and his guests), although he refused the efforts of a local clergyman who offered him "serious remonstrances and admonitions". Turpin's father may have sent him a letter, dated 29 March, urging him to "beg of God to pardon your many transgressions, which the thief upon the cross received pardon for at the last hour". Turpin bought
32757-426: Was shot at in Hyde Park, wrote that "One is forced to travel, even at noon, as if one was going to battle." During this period, crime was rife and encounters with highwaymen or women could be bloody if the victim attempted to resist. The historian Roy Porter described the use of direct, physical action as a hallmark of public and political life: "From the rough-house of the crowd to the dragoons' musket volley, violence
32940-477: Was suspected of stealing sheep, and had escaped the custody of the local constable. Delamere also suspected that Palmer was a horse-thief and had taken several depositions supporting his view, and told the three JPs that he would prefer him to be detained. The three JPs now presumed that the case was too serious for Palmer to remain at Beverley House of Correction, and demanded sureties for his appearance at York Assizes . Turpin refused, and so on 16 October he
33123-491: Was the end of the Hajduk golden age. The Indian Subcontinent has had a long and documented history of organised robbery for millennia. These included the Thuggees , a quasi-religious group that robbed travellers on Indian roads until the cult was systematically eradicated in the mid-1800s by British colonial administrators. Thugees would befriend large road caravans and gain their confidence, before strangling them to death and robbing their valuables. According to some estimates
33306-519: Was the period from the Restoration in 1660 to the death of Queen Anne in 1714. Some are known to have been disbanded soldiers, and even officers, of the English Civil War and French wars. What favoured them most was the lack of governance and absence of a police force: parish constables were almost entirely ineffective, while detection and arrest were very difficult. Most of the highwaymen held up travellers and took their money. Some had channels by which they could dispose of bills of exchange. Others had
33489-552: Was transferred to York Castle in handcuffs. Horse theft became a capital offence in 1545, punishable by death. During the 17th and 18th centuries, crimes in violation of property rights were some of the most severely punished; most of the 200 capital statutes were property offences. Robbery combined with violence was "the sort of offence, second only to premeditated murder (a relatively uncommon crime), most likely to be prosecuted and punished to [the law's] utmost rigour". Turpin had stolen several horses while operating under
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