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For other uses, see Highway-man/men (disambiguation).

The word highwayman is first attested from the year 1017. [1] Robbers operated in Great Britain and Ireland from the Elizabethan period until the early 19th century. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Romance and reality The Victorian era and the early twentieth century idealised the Elizabethan era The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The term 'highwayman' is mainly applied to robbers who travelled on horseback, as opposed to those who robbed on foot (foot-pads). A footpad is a robber or Thief specializing in Pedestrian victims [2] Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to foot-pads. [3] Slang names for them included 'knights of the road' and 'gentlemen of the road'. [4] In the mid to late 19th century American West, highwaymen were known as road agents. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The Western United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American West or simply the West &mdashtraditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost [5]

Contents

Robber heroes

There is a long history of treating highway robbers as heroes. Originally they were admired by many because they were considered to be bold men who confronted their victims face-to-face and were ready to fight for what they wanted. [6] The most famous English robber hero is the legendary medieval outlaw Robin Hood. An outlaw or bandit is a person living the lifestyle of outlawry; the word literally means "outside the Law " by folk-etymology from the original Robin Hood is an archetypal figure in English folklore, whose story originates from medieval times but who remains significant in popular culture where Later robber heroes included the Cavalier highwayman James Hind, the debonair French highwayman Claude Du Vall, Dick Turpin and 'Sixteen-string Jack' (John Rann). Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War ( 1642 &ndash 1651 James Hind (sometimes referred to as John Hind) (baptised 1616 - 1652 was a 17th century Highwayman (who is said to have only robbed Parliamentarians and Royalist Claude Duval (1643 – January 21 1670) was a French -born Gentleman Highwayman in post-Restoration Britain. For other meanings see Dick Turpin (disambiguation. Richard (Dick Turpin ( September 21, 1705 in Hempstead John "Sixteen String Jack" Rann ( 1750 - November 30, 1774) was an English criminal and highwayman during the mid-18th century Some highwaymen were remembered as Robin Hood-like figures who robbed those who deserved it and helped people in trouble. [7]

Modus operandi

Some highwaymen robbed alone, but others operated in pairs or in small gangs. They often targeted coaches, including public stagecoaches; the post-boys who carried the mail were also frequently held up. [8] The famous demand to 'Stand and deliver!' (sometimes in forms such as 'Stand and deliver your purse!' or 'Stand and deliver your money!') was in use from the 17th 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 surrendred. (The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 25 April 1677)[9]

The phrase 'Your money or your life' is mentioned in trial reports from the middle of the eighteenth 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 a soldier's waistcoat and breeches. I put the bayonet aside, and gave him my silver, about three or four shillings. ' (The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 12 September 1781)[10]

Dangerous places

Highwaymen often lay in wait on the main roads radiating from London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. 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. Hounslow is the principal town in the London Borough of Hounslow. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. [11] Bagshot Heath in Surrey was another dangerous place on the road to Exeter. Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. One of the most notorious places in England was Shooter's Hill on the Great Dover Road. Shooter's Hill (or Shooters Hill) is a place and an electoral ward in the London Borough of Greenwich in south-east London. Finchley Common, on the Great North Road, was very nearly as bad. Finchley Common was an area of land in Middlesex, and until 1816 the boundary between the parishes of Finchley, Friern Barnet and Hornsey. [12] Many other places could be mentioned. h

Executions

The penalty for robbery with violence was hanging, and most notorious highwaymen ended on the gallows. Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death A gallows is a frame typically wooden used for execution by Hanging. The chief place of execution for London and Middlesex was Tyburn. Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. History The village was one of two manors of the Parish of St Marylebone, which was itself named after the stream St Marylebone being Famous highwaymen who ended their lives there included Claude Du Vall, James Maclaine and Sixteen-string Jack. Highwaymen who could go to the gallows laughing and joking, or at least showing no fear, are said to have been admired by many of the people who came to watch. [13]

Decline

After about 1815 mounted robbers are recorded only rarely. The last recorded robbery by a mounted highwayman occurred during 1831. The development of the railways is sometimes cited as a factor, but highwaymen were already obsolete before the railway network was built. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. A very important factor was the expansion of the system of turnpikes, manned and gated toll-roads, which made it all but impossible for a highwayman to escape notice while making his getaway. A toll road, (also known as a tollway, turnpike, pike, or toll highway, especially if it is constructed to Freeway standards At the same time, London was becoming much better policed: in 1805 a body of mounted police began to patrol the districts around the city at night. Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force London was growing rapidly, and some of the most dangerous open spaces near the city, such as Finchley Common, were being covered with buildings. A greater use of banknotes, more traceable than gold coins, also made life more difficult for robbers. [14]

Irish highwaymen

In 17th, 18th and early 19th century Ireland acts of robbery were often part of a tradition of popular resistance to British colonial rule and settlement and Protestant domination. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system See Colony and Colonization for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism The Protestant Ascendancy is a convenient phrase used when referring to the political economic and social domination of the former Kingdom of Ireland by a minority of great From the mid-17th century, Irish bandits who harassed the British were known as 'tories' (from Irish tórai, raider). Later in the century they became known as 'rapparees'. Rapparees (from the Irish ropairí, plural of ropaire, actually meaning half pike or a pike-wielding person were Irish guerrilla Famous Irish highwaymen included James Freney, Willie Brennan and Jeremiah Grant. [15]

Highwaymen in literature and popular culture

Dick Turpin riding Black Bess, from a Victorian toy theatre.
Dick Turpin riding Black Bess, from a Victorian toy theatre.

In Shakespeare's King Henry IV Part I Sir John Falstaff is a highwayman, and part of the action of the play concerns a robbery committed by him and his companions. William Shakespeare ( baptised Henry IV Part 1 is a History play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597 Sir John Falstaff is a Fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare as a companion to Prince Hal the future King Henry V. Apart from Falstaff, the most famous highwayman in English drama is Captain Macheath, hero of John Gay's 18th-century ballad opera The Beggar's Opera. Drama was introduced to England from Europe by the Romans, and Auditoriums were constructed across the country for this purpose Captain Macheath is a Fictional British criminal who appears both in John Gay's The Beggar's Opera and roughly 200 years later in Bertolt John Gay ( 30 June, 1685 - 4 December, 1732) was an English Poet and Dramatist. The term ballad opera is used to refer to a genre of English stage entertainment originating in the 18th century and continuing to develop in the following century The Beggar's Opera is a Ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay. The modern legend of Dick Turpin owes an enormous amount to Harrison Ainsworth's best-selling novel Rookwood (1834), in which a heavily fictionalised Turpin is one of the main characters. William Harrison Ainsworth (4 February 1805 &ndash 3 January 1882 was an English Historical novelist He was born in Manchester, the son of a [16] Alfred Noyes's narrative poem 'The Highwayman' has been immensely popular ever since its publication in 1906. Alfred Noyes ( September 16, 1880 &ndash June 28, 1958) was an English poet best known for his ballads The Highwayman " The Highwayman " is a Narrative poem by Alfred Noyes, published in 1906

There were many broadsheet ballads about highwaymen; these were often written to be sold on the occasion of a famous robber's execution. A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song. A number of highwaymen ballads have remained current in oral tradition in England and Ireland. [17]

From the early 18th century collections of short 'lives' 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 'Newgate Calendar' in their titles and this has become a general name for this kind of publication. The Newgate Calendar, subtitled The Malefactors' Bloody Register, was a popular work of Improving literature in the 18th and 19th centuries [18]

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[19] that hundreds of literary works about him have since been published. Juraj Jánošík (first name also Juro or Jurko, modern pronunciation /'juraj 'jaːnɔʃiːk/ modern pronunciation /'jɛʒɨ ja'nɔɕik/ György Juraj Jánošík (first name also Juro or Jurko, modern pronunciation /'juraj 'jaːnɔʃiːk/ modern pronunciation /'jɛʒɨ ja'nɔɕik/ György [20] The first Slovak feature film was Jánošík, made in 1921, followed by seven more Slovak and Polish films about him. The Cinema of Slovakia encompasses a range of themes and styles typical of European cinema Jánošík is a Slovak black-and-white silent film from 1921. Juraj Jánošík (first name also Juro or Jurko, modern pronunciation /'juraj 'jaːnɔʃiːk/ modern pronunciation /'jɛʒɨ ja'nɔɕik/ György

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. Penny Dreadful (also called penny number) was a term applied to nineteenth century British Fiction publications usually lurid serial stories appearing in parts In the 20th century the handsome highwayman became a stock character in historical love romances, including books by Baroness Orczy and Georgette Heyer. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Emma (" Emmuska " Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orczi (anglicized to Baroness Emma Magdalena Rosalia Maria Josephina Georgette Heyer (16 August 1902 &ndash 4 July 1974 was an English Historical romance and Detective fiction Novelist.

The Carry On films included a highwayman spoof in Carry On Dick (1974). The Carry On films were a long-running series of low-budget British comedy films directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. Carry On Dick was the 26th Carry On film. It was released in 1974 and marked the end of an era for the series The Monty Python team sent up the highwayman legends in the Dennis Moore sketch in episode 37 of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Monty Python (sometimes known as The Pythons) is the collective name of the six creators of Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British Television [21] In Blackadder the Third, Mr. Edmund Blackadder turns highwayman in the episode Amy and Amiability. Blackadder the Third is the third series of the BBC Situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Edmund Blackadder Esq. (1762–1830 was the main character in the third series of the BBC Sitcom Blackadder. " Amy and Amiability " is the fifth episode of the third series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. In the British children's television series Dick Turpin, starring Richard O'Sullivan, the highwayman was depicted as an 18th-century Robin Hood figure. Dick Turpin is a British television drama series starring Richard O'Sullivan and Michael Deeks. Richard O'Sullivan (born 7 May 1944, Chiswick, Middlesex) is an English Comedy Actor who is best known for

The traditional Irish song Whiskey in the Jar tells the story of an Irish highwayman that robs an army Captain, and includes the lines "I first produced me pistol, then I drew me rapier. " Whiskey in the Jar " is a famous Irish traditional song about a Highwayman (usually in the Cork and Kerry mountains who Said 'Stand and deliever, for you are a bold deceiver. '"

Adam and the Ants had a number one song for five weeks in 1981 in the UK with Stand and Deliver. " Stand and Deliver " was Adam & the Ants ' most successful single The video featured Adam Ant as an English highwayman (see lyrics and video).



Highwaymen in films

List of highwaymen

Further information: List of highwaymen

Note: not all the criminals on the list are highwaymen. A Man from the Boulevard des Capuchines (Человек с бульвара Капуцинов Transliteration: Chelovek s bulvara Kaputsinov is a comedy Barry Lyndon ( 1975) is a Period film by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon (1844 by William For other meanings see Dick Turpin (disambiguation. Richard (Dick Turpin ( September 21, 1705 in Hempstead Lorna Doone A Romance of Exmoor is a Novel by Richard Doddridge Blackmore. The Man in Grey is a 1943 English film melodrama made by Gainsborough Pictures, and is widely considered as the first of its "Gainsborough melodramas" The Wicked Lady was a 1945 Film starring Margaret Lockwood in the title role as a nobleman's wife who turns to highway robbery for The Loves of Carmen ( 1948) is a Technicolor film starring Rita Hayworth as the gypsy Carmen and Glenn Ford as her doomed Plunkett & Macleane is a 1999 Period movie directed by Jake Scott, starring Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller and Liv Tyler Carry On Dick was the 26th Carry On film. It was released in 1974 and marked the end of an era for the series Joseph Andrews, or The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr The Wicked Lady was a 1945 Film starring Margaret Lockwood in the title role as a nobleman's wife who turns to highway robbery for Claude Duval (1643 – January 21 1670) was a French -born Gentleman Highwayman in post-Restoration Britain. This is a chronological list of Highwaymen active in Europe and Colonial America from the 16th to 18th century

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Fennor, William: The Counter’s Commonwealth, ed. A. V. Judges in The Elizabethan Underworld, p. 446. George Routledge, 1930. Online quotation.
  2. ^ Oxford English Dictionary under highwayman.
  3. ^ Rid, Samuel: Martin Markall, Beadle of Bridewell, ed. A. V. Judges in The Elizabethan Underworld, pp. 415–416. George Routledge, 1930. Online quotation. See also Spraggs, Gillian: Outlaws and Highwaymen: the Cult of the Robber in England from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century, pp. 107, 169, 190–191. Pimlico, 2001.
  4. ^ Oxford English Dictionary under knight 12. c. and gentleman 5. c.
  5. ^ E. Cobham Brewer (1810–1897), Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 1898: Road-agent: "A highwayman in the mountain districts of North America", citing: “Road-agent is the name applied in the mountains to a ruffian who has given up honest work in the store, in the mine, in the ranch, for the perils and profits of the highway. ” — W. Hepworth Dixon: New America, i. 14.
  6. ^ Spraggs, Gillian: Outlaws and Highwaymen: the Cult of the Robber in England from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century, pp. 2–3, 7–8, 255. Pimlico, 2001.
  7. ^ To the Memory of Captain James Hind; The Penitent Highwayman.
  8. ^ Beattie, J. M. : Crime and the Courts in England, 1660–1800, pp. 149–158. Clarendon Press, 1986; Extracts from Wilson, Ralph: A Full and Impartial Account of all the Robberies Committed by John Hawkins, George Sympson (lately Executed for Robbing the Bristol Mails) and their Companions. 3rd edition, J. Peele, 1722.
  9. ^ The Proceedings of the Old Bailey: fellow, theft with violence : highway robbery, 25th April, 1677.
  10. ^ The Proceedings of the Old Bailey: JOHN BUCKLEY, THOMAS SHENTON, theft with violence : highway robbery, 12th September, 1781.
  11. ^ Maxwell, Gordon S.  : Highwayman's Heath: Story in Fact and Fiction of Hounslow Heath in Middlesex . Heritage Publications, Hounslow Leisure Services, 1994.
  12. ^ Beattie, J. M. : Crime and the Courts in England, 1660–1800, pp. 155–156. Clarendon Press, 1986; Spraggs, Gillian: Outlaws and Highwaymen: the Cult of the Robber in England from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century, p. 93. Pimlico, 2001. Harper, Charles George: Half-hours with the Highwaymen: picturesque biographies and traditions of the "knights of the road", pp. 245–255. Chapman & Hall, 1908; Online edition of Half-hours with the Highwaymen. via Internet Archive. The Internet Archive ( IA) is a Nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line Library and archive of Web and
  13. ^ Spraggs, Gillian: Outlaws and Highwaymen: the Cult of the Robber in England from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century, pp. 212–233. Pimlico, 2001
  14. ^ Spraggs, Gillian: Outlaws and Highwaymen: the Cult of the Robber in England from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century, p. 234. Pimlico, 2001
  15. ^ Dunford, Stephen: The Irish Highwaymen. Merlin Publishing, 2000; Seal, Graham: The Outlaw Legend: a cultural tradition in Britain, America and Australia, pp. 69–78. Cambridge University Press, 1996.
  16. ^ Sharpe, James: Dick Turpin: the Myth of the English Highwayman, Chapter 5: 'The Man from Manchester'. Profile Books, 2004; Spraggs, Gillian: Outlaws and Highwaymen: the Cult of the Robber in England from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century, pp. 237–240. Pimlico, 2001.
  17. ^ Seal, Graham: The Outlaw Legend: a cultural tradition in Britain, America and Australia, pp. 47–78. Cambridge University Press, 1996.
  18. ^ The Newgate Calendar - Bibliographical Note
  19. ^ Votruba, Martin: "Hang Him High: The Elevation of Jánošík to an Ethnic Icon. " Slavic Review, 65#1, pp. 24-44, 2006. Abstract.
  20. ^ Few in English, e. g. : Moore Coleman, Marion (1972). A brigand, two queens, and a prankster; stories of Janosik, Queen Bona, Queen Kinga and the Sowizdrzal. Cherry Hill Books. ISBN 978-0910366137
  21. ^ Monty Python's Flying Circus Script - Episode 37

See also

External links

A footpad is a robber or Thief specializing in Pedestrian victims Rapparees (from the Irish ropairí, plural of ropaire, actually meaning half pike or a pike-wielding person were Irish guerrilla Bushrangers, or bush rangers, were Outlaws in the early years of the European settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Hajduk (or haiduk, haiduc, hayduck, hayduk) is a term most commonly referring to Outlaws highwaymen or Freedom fighters Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering An outlaw or bandit is a person living the lifestyle of outlawry; the word literally means "outside the Law " by folk-etymology from the original

Dictionary

highwayman

-noun

  1. (historical) A person who robbed travellers on public roads.
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