Page 26 - All About History - Issue 08-14
P. 26
Crime
Top 5 facts
DICK English, 1706-1739
DICK TURPIN
TURPIN Brief A farmer’s son, Dick
Turpin was born in
Essex in southeast
England, where he
Bio
worked as a butcher’s
apprentice before he and his
gang gained notoriety for
attacking rich farmhouses in
Essex. After a brief spell as a
INFAMOUS HIGHWAY ROBBER, highway robber, Turpin escaped
to York where he adopted the
ESSEX, ENGLAND, 1706-1739 guise of a gentleman before
being caught and executed.
He was caught
01 shooting a chicken
Though he had committed
numerous crimes during his life,
including murder and robbery, he
finally met his comeuppance when
he casually shot and killed a prize
fowl owned by his landlord. When
he appeared at court, the truth of
his past life as an outlaw quickly
came to light.
He didn’t ride from
04 Westminster to York
Legend has it that Turpin rode from
Westminster to York in only 24 hours,
but this has been proved to be untrue.
This story is based on a journey made
by another criminal, John Nevison,
who rode over 190 miles (305 km) in
under 20 hours to provide an alibi for a
robbery he committed in Kent.
He was executed
He was only briefy a 05 On the day of his execution
03 highway robber Turpin was led through the streets of
Turpin started out as a rustler Though most interpretations of his life have York, bowing nobly to the watching
02 He is famed for being a dashing and daring characterised him as the dandy highway crowds. He was so keen to end his
robber, but Turpin actually started life as a cattle robber, he and his gang mainly broke into life in pomp and ceremony that he
rustler and began his criminal career by stealing two farmhouses. Still, he did terrorise the roads of even hired mourners to follow him to
oxen. Comically, he was caught in the act and was Epping Forest for a while, before returning to the scaffold, where he promptly leapt
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forced to flee to escape certain arrest. his more familiar pastime of rustling. unaided to his death.
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