Dick Turpin, Highwayman and Legend
Was he a Romantic Hero or a Villain of his Times
Dick Turpin was the most famous highwayman of eighteenth century England. Who was the man behind the myth? Was he the romantic hero of legend or a ruthless outlaw?
Dick Turpin, hero or villain? Turpin’s life has become so coloured by legend that to find the true man is a quest in itself. Further, what we do know of him hardly paints a romantic figure.
A Life of Crime
Dick Turpin was born at Hempstead in Essex during 1705. At the age of 21 Turpin married one Rose Palmer. His career as a butcher ended when debt led him to sheep rustling. Turpin took to further crime at Epping Forest near London, where he joined criminals known as “Gregory’s Gang.” They began to rob churches and break into houses. Most of the members of the gang were caught and hanged, although Turpin managed to escape.
Highwaymen
Turpin took up with another survivor of Gregory’s Gang – “Rowden the Pewterer” – and the two of them became highwaymen. Throughout the mid 1730s they carried out daylight robberies around Wandsworth and Putney, then the partnership broke up and Turpin went it alone. Turpin struck up with another highwayman, Tom King.They found a hideaway in a cave in Epping Forest. Turpin and King continued their partnership until May 1737, when their hideaway was discovered and King was fatally wounded. Yet, somehow, Turpin escaped.
Horse stealer
The loss of King did not deter Turpin from continuing his highway robbery. Nevertheless, Turpin suddenly vanished from London when his reputation was at its height..Shortly afterwards, a horse dealer called John Palmer set up home in the East Riding of Yorkshire, he soon became known to the local gentry. However, when he shot his landlord’s prized gamecock , Palmer was arrested.
Palmer was linked to horse stealing in Lincolnshire. He was transferred to the prison in York Castle whilst further investigations were made.
“Palmer” wrote to his brother in Essex but did not pay the postage, the latter refused to pay and the letter was returned to the local post office at Hempstead. By chance the local schoolmaster John Smith saw the handwriting and swore it was Dick Turpin’s. The authorities were informed in both Essex and Yorkshire. Turpin and the “John Palmer” fretting in York castle were one and the same - the arch-villain had been caught at last.
Execution and after
Turpin, was sentenced to death for horse stealing: still a capital offence. He was hanged at Knavesmire, outside York on 7 April 1739. So died Dick Turpin, highwayman, and still only 33 at his death. He was buried at St.George’s Church, York.
Turpin became an anti-hero for the underclasses who lived with lawlessness in 18th century England. What we know of Turpin reveals a man who was simply the best-known villain of lawless times. The popular hero of folklore was more the romantic whim of writers who came after. The real Turpin was a far cry from the figure of legend – nonetheless he still haunts our imagination as the most infamous highwayman of all.
