On this day 280 years ago...

Dick Turpin – Highwayman - was hanged.

Image from York Dungeon

Born: 21 September 1705, Hempstead, Essex
Died: 7 April 1739, Knavesmire

32 years old, died on the scaffold – yet still known to this day, 280 years later!

Much like Al Capone who was finally jailed for tax evasion, Dick Turpin’s eventual arrest and incarceration came about for relatively trivial matters. He casually shot and killed his landlord’s prize fowl. When he appeared in court, his past came to light and he was doomed!

Turpin has been credited with the epic ride from York to London in one night on his trusty steed, Black Bess, (passing through this part of the country to do so). History proved that particular escapade was down to another highwayman - John Nevison.

Turpin started his working life as a respected butcher, but greed and opportunity took a hand in his fate when he decided to sell (or ‘fence’) poached venison – stolen, not cooked in water. From then, he joined a gang of ruthless thieves and rustlers – The Gregory Gang – and took to stealing from farmhouses, mainly. When all but two of the gang were captured, Turpin and his accomplice took to highway robbery for a short time.

He killed a keeper at Epping Forest and copped for a £200 bounty on his head and he fled to Yorkshire, taking the name of John Palmer. He was arrested for disturbing the peace and sent a letter to his brother-in-law who returned the letter because 6d was owed on the letter and the brother-in-law didn’t recognise the pseudonym Turpin had adopted. By sheer coincidence, the postmaster used to be Turpin’s tutor and recognised his writing. The authorities were duly informed and Turpin went to trial.

A sentence of death by hanging was handed down to him and he went to meet his maker by way of another (pardoned) member of The Gregory Gang – Hangman Thomas Hadfield.

Turpin went through the historic streets of York to the scaffold at The Knavesmire, followed by five mourners (hired for the event). He wore a new suit of clothes he’d purchased just for the occasion and spent a good half an hour speaking to his audience – some audience, they’d turned up to watch a man hang, not hear him speak.

Determined to meet his maker under his own terms, once the Hangman had placed the noose over his head, Dick Turpin leaped from the scaffold rather than wait for the short drop and sudden stop.

Not quite working out as he’d planned, he didn’t break his neck, but took five minutes to die from strangulation.