Stand and Deliver

Your Money or Your Life..............

“Stand and Deliver – Your Money or your Life” - the famous call of an infamous character who caused fear to all travellers in Essex (UK) and surrounding counties during the early 1700’s – that of Dick Turpin the Highwayman.............

No matter where you go in Essex you will be shown where Turpin slept, ate, buried his horse, committed some of his robberies, lived, married and a thousand and one other supposed ‘facts' of his life.   Most, if not all are false folk tales, as is the fact that he was a ‘Gentleman Highwayman'. He was nothing of the sort.

The stories told of his deeds have gained in the telling.   To this day, he is still held by many Essex people as one of their greatest heroes.

Most will mention his ride on his famous horse Black Bess from London to York in 24 hours. It happened all right, but it was not Turpin – it was an earlier highwayman, ‘Swift Nick’' Nevison who made the ride from Kent to York, some 190 miles in about 15 hours to establish an alibi for one of his crimes.

Turpin was born in Essex; probably in a small village called Thackstead in 1706, the son of a farmer and part time public house landlord of the Crown Inn. (Once again the local Essex people make other claims, saying that the pub was in fact the ‘Blue Bell Inn’ later to be known as ‘The Rose and Crown’.   Wherein lies the truth, take your pick). After a primary school education he was apprenticed to a butcher in Whitechapel in the East End of London. When he completed his apprenticeship, he married a young lady named Palmer in East Ham, in Essex and soon began his illegal activities. He started off in a small way, stealing cattle, butchering them and selling the meat.

When he stole two oxen from a local farmer, he was traced to his home by the loser’s servants who found the butchered oxen. They had been skinned. They also discovered that he had sold the skins at Waltham-Abbey where they were traced and identified. A warrant was issued for his arrest. However, he escaped out the back window of his home and made his way into the wilds of Essex where he began his ‘true' career.

He joined a gang of smugglers, which was a common illegal trade at the time and did well at it until some Customs Officers managed to rid him of his profits. He then began ‘deer stealing' in Epping Forest. This was a capital offence as all deer belonged to the Crown. In those days, all ‘forest' land belonged to the Crown, whilst ‘woodland' did not.

Once again, he was not making sufficient money for the chances he was taking so he began ‘housebreaking'.  One of his new gang, The Essex Gang, would knock on the door of a house that they considered worthwhile robbing, wait until the door was opened, then the others would rush in, attack the occupiers and steal anything worthwhile. The earlier crimes were not vicious and no injury was caused to the victims. Soon this was to change.

Turpin learned that an old lady who lived in Loughton was supposed to be in possession of seven or eight hundred pounds, a considerable sum of money at that time. They went through their routine and gained entry into the house. However, the old lady would not divulge where the money was hidden.

Despite threats to set her on fire, she continued to refuse. However, when they placed her upon the fire, she held her silence for a while, but then told them of the hiding place. They took the money and made good their escape.

The burglaries/robberies continued and people began to refuse to open their doors. In these cases they would forcibly kick in the doors, enter and using whatever force was necessary, they would steal what they liked.

A very nasty robbery was planned whereby the ‘Keeper of Epping Forest' was to be robbed. This they did, but Turpin was in London drinking heavily and forgot the appointment. However, after committing the robbery, the gang joined him and he received part of the proceeds.

In January 1735, they made their way across the Thames into Kent where they did a very nasty house robbery. Not only did they take everything of value but they also threatened the occupants with death if they raised the alarm or gave the marks of the stolen silverware. The threat was that one or more would return and murder them.

Over the coming weeks they continued with their robberies which became more vicious. One included the rape of a maid. This robbery was put before the King and a proclamation was issued offering a reward for the criminals. This had no effect for they continued as before.

In February, the armed gang, during a drinking session in the White Bear Inn, Drury Lane, agreed to rob a local farmer. A large amount of money and silver plate was stolen at gunpoint. A higher reward was offered which resulted in two of the gang being arrested, convicted and hanged in chains. This caused the gang to break up with Turpin taking once again to the depths of Essex, especially the vicinity of Epping Forest.

One day whilst on his way to Cambridge, Turpin saw a well dressed ‘gentleman' whom he decided to rob on the highway. As it turned out, it was a man called ‘King' who was also a well-known highwayman. He is reputed to have said to Turpin "What’s this Turpin, dog-eat-dog?" As a result they joined forces.......

The two of them were now committing so many robberies that the local inns would not have them on their premises. They made a cave in Epping Forest, which had room enough for both of them and their horses. From the hideout they could watch the road and pick off travellers at will. Turpin’s wife would provide them with food and stay regularly at the cave.

On the 4^th May 1737, ‘The Keeper of Epping Forest', an earlier victim of Turpin and the gang learned of the hideout and sent two of his man-servants to try to arrest him. They were armed. Turpin did not recognise one of them as he approached and thought him to be a poacher. However, as he tried to arrest Turpin, he was shot and killed.

This murder was presented to the Secretary of State and a government proclamation was issued for the arrest of ‘one, Richard Turpin'.

As a result, Turpin made his way further into the countryside and met his accomplice King and another man named Potter. They set off for London and on the way, near the Green Man Inn in Epping Forest they saw a Mr. Major who was riding a very fine horse. Turpin considered his own horse to be tired so he forced the man to ‘swap' horses.

Mr. Major had handbills (flyers) printed and distributed and as a result his horse was discovered to have been left at the Red Lion Inn in Whitechapel. A watch was put on the horse and later King’s brother called to pay the bill and collect it. He was arrested but as he did not answer the description of Turpin who had stolen the horse, an ‘agreement' was made whereby King would ‘set up' Turpin for his liberty.

King made his way to where he was to meet his brother and Turpin. A fight ensued during which King tried to fire his gun. It ‘flashed' and misfired. Turpin on seeing this fired his weapon but in fact shot King. King survived for a week, during which time he gave various addresses where Turpin might be found. In fact, Turpin was lucky to escape on various occasions. He returned to Epping Forest where he became very depressed with remorse for what he had done to King.

A determined effort was made to capture him with huntsmen regularly scouring the forest for him. Again he had several close escapes.

As a result he decided to move well and truly out of the area. In fact, he went all the way to Yorkshire. On the way he stole some horses in Lincolnshire. He was arrested but escaped from the constable on his way to the magistrate. He made his way to Welton in Yorkshire where he began to use the name John Palmer. He began to play the part of a gentleman with an occasional foray into Lincolnshire to steal more horses.

As I said, Turpin tried to play the part of a gentleman but as a result of a simple act of shooting a cockerel belonging to his landlord, he had an argument during which he threatened to shoot the landlord as well.

He was taken before a local Magistrate where he was ‘Bound over to be of good behaviour with a security of cash' demanded. He was unable, or unwilling to give such a security so he was sent to jail. Enquiries revealed that each time he made one of his journeys into Lincolnshire, he would return with plenty of money and several horses. The Magistrates questioned him and he gave several false statements.

Enquires in Lincolnshire revealed that he had escaped custody there for sheep stealing. He was taken to jail at York Castle where he was further identified as the thief who stole a mare and foal and likewise another horse.

Whilst in jail, he wrote to his brother in Essex asking him to attend York and prove his ‘good character'.  However, his plans went awry, as in those days the recipient of a letter had to pay the postage and his brother refusing to pay, the letter was returned and his true identity, that of Richard Turpin, was discovered.

The Magistrates in Essex were informed, attended York and identified Turpin. As word went around that the ‘famous Dick Turpin' was in York Castle, people flocked to see him. One young man, who claimed to know him, on seeing him, told the Gaoler that he would bet him half a guinea that the man was not Turpin. Turpin whispered to the Gaoler "Take the bet, and I’ll go halves with you".

At his trial, he was found guilty, not of the murders and robberies, but of horse stealing. He was sentenced to death. On the day of his death, he wore clothes, which he had specially purchased for the occasion; he was put into the cart, which was followed by several ‘mourners' to whom he had paid a fee of ten shillings each.

When he came to the hanging tree, he mounted the ladder and spoke with the hangman for about half an hour then literally threw himself off the ladder and died in a few minutes from the resultant broken neck.

The corpse was taken away and buried the following day. The next morning, at about three am, the grave was robbed and the body stolen by ‘resurrectionists' who sold it to a local surgeon. However, some of the locals raided his house and found the body. It was taken through the streets in triumph, then placed in a coffin with quicklime to prevent it from being taken again.

The strange thing about Dick Turpin is that almost every day, I pass the places where he used to frequent. On the golf course where I play, I know where his horse is supposed to be buried (false), places where he was supposed to have hidden and an old derelict building where he is supposed to have shared the spoils of his robberies. Most of the Inns are pubs now and during my drinking career I have had drinks in most, if not all, of them.

A strange man, our Dick Turpin, but not a romantic character in the least. He was no more than a ruthless thief and would not hesitate to shoot and kill anyone who stood in his way.

However, do not try to say that to an Essex man – they think he was one of their famous characters and still one of their greatest heroes..........................

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