Dick Turpin: The Myth of the English Highwayman

by James Sharpe

Almost everything people know about Dick Turpin and highwaymen is myth. The historical truth is much nastier, more brutal and bloody. As Dick Turpin went to the scaffold in York in 1739 he was determined to look his best. The previous day he had had a new frock coat and pumps delivered to him in the condemned man's cell in York Castle Prison. And he paid £3 and 10 shillings for five men to act as mourners. Who was this notorious highwayman and why did he become so famous? What did he do to become the subject of such extraordinary myths? Most of all, why are highwaymen romantic figures? We have highwayman now: we call them muggers and car-jackers and we don't sing ballads about them or eulogise them for their brave exploits. This is a masterly biography of one of Britain's best-known criminals - but it is also an examination of the cult of the highwayman, of crime in the 18th century and the treatment of criminals. In the absence of any police force how were crimes solved? Who did the detective work? And did the criminals get a fair trial - an important question if you were going to hang from the neck for a relatively minor misdemeanour. Was there a criminal underclass and did people really live in terror of going on the roads at night? Looking at the underbelly of society and the nastier aspects of life that many historians ignore, James Sharpe creates a vivid picture of life on the edges in 18th century Britain.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, British Literature, True Crime, Crime, 18th Century

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Anna Kļaviņa]

Dick Turpin: The Myth of the English Highwayman is very interesting book that tells how Dick Turpin, a violent thug, was made a hero after more than 100 years after his dead.

Sharpe not only tells about the "real" Turpin and the Gregory gang but also about William Harrison Ainsworth who with his novel Rookwood reinvented the Turpin we know. Then Sharpe follows Turpin's myth from Rookwood till contemporary days.

And here is lyrics from Horrible Histories Dick Turpin's song (and link to the video http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/clips/p00h9m20 )

Everyone thinks they know the story
Of Dick Turpin's highway glory
But my past is far more gory
I was no saint

You think life is one big antic
My profession is romantic
Hate to be pedantic
But it ends

As a butcher down in Essex
I was handy with a knife
Had a sideline as a poacher
Led a less than honest life

The notorious gang of Gregory
Liked my style and dedication
They signed me up and gave me
A real robber's education

We rampaged through the Essex farms
We stole and robbed and fought
But when the law came for us
I escaped and they got caught

I became a highwayman
Was daylight robbery
I was no prince charming
Nothing dandy about me

The truth is, I was violent
And with my good mate, Matt King
Robbed travellers at gunpoint
Money, watches, anything!

My horse it wasn't called Black Bess
Although that's what you've read
Was no romantic hero
Shot not one, but two men dead

The legend that surrounds me
Misses out the crucial part
I was a ruthless killer
With a ruthless killer's heart

Was a vicious highwayman
A source of pain and tears
When you hear how my story ends
You won't believe your ears

I ran away to Yorkshire
Changed my name to John Palmer
Was sent to prison
After stealing chickens from a farmer

Wrote a letter to my family
A plea it did relate
The postman saw the envelope
And here's the twist of fate

He had taught me how to write
So he knew I'd lied
"That's not John Palmer's hand
That's Dick Turpin's!" he cried!

Was a vicious highwayman
My crimes had brought me fame
Was stitched up by a postie
That's not glamourous... that's lame!

No more stand and deliver
You'll remember this, I hope
It's no fun hanging with highwaymen
When you're... hanging from a rope!

[Jo]

Sharpe looks at the life of times of Turpin as well as other highwaymen and attempts to dispel the myths surrounding them. It is strange to think about how these vicious thugs have been romanticised and become almost heroic when portrayed in media such as films or books. At just over 200 pages in length, this is a decent introduction to the subject and acts as a beginner's guide to the era of the highwayman.

[Emilia Knevett]

Super duper helpful to the diss, reread multiple times and actually enjoyed

[Michael Reilly]

Continuing my true crime spree.

Dick Turpin (1705-1739) is an English folk hero. Kids learn about the dashing highwayman who robbed the rich and treated woman with a "chivalrous spirit". He was famous for his wild overnight ride from London to York on Bess, his famous horse, chased by the King's men. He escaped, but Bess died of exhaustion at the end of the ride.

Sharpe's point is the popular version of Turpin is bullshit. Turpin started off his big-time criminal career as part of a gang committing house invasion robberies. Elderly homeowners were beaten and abused. Maids were raped. After his gang was broken up by the police, with most of them being hung, Turpin moved to highway robbery and horse stealing. He was a brutal criminal and not noble or chivalrous in the least. He was eventually hung.

Sharpe argues that the myth of Dick Turpin came from a bestselling 1834 novel, "Rookwood" by William Ainsworth. Almost a hundred years after Turpin's death, Ainsworth used the name for a character who was nothing like Dick Turpin. Ainsworth created the stereotype of the chivalrous and glamorous highwayman.

Sharpe is very convincing. He has done a large amount of research on the historical Turpin. He was a violent, dishonest, brutal man. The contemporaneous official records, newspaper reports, letters and diaries are clear. Ainsworth's Turpin is a fictional character.

Sharpe is an academic. He has padded this book out with a fair amount of discussion of English legal history, trends in crime, criminological theory and the like. He is also not a natural storyteller. He enjoys quoting big chunks of documents and following digressions as he goes along.

This is an interesting book which is a perfect example of the line from "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

[Graham]

A nice read that complemented Gillian Spraggs' OUTLAWS AND HIGHWAYMEN, even though the two books cover the same ground in some instances. Sharpe has done his research and his book is full of interesting anecdotes and accounts, and his expose of the 'real' Dick Turpin makes for fascinating reading. I liked the way he exposes the romanticism surrounding the archetypal highwayman figure and delivers the nitty gritty truth: that Turpin was a pockmarked bastard, more than ready to shoot you in the head if you tried resisting when he robbed you.

[tinalouisereadsbooks]

Almost everything people know about Dick Turpin and highwaymen is myth. The historical truth is much nastier, more brutal and bloody. As Dick Turpin went to the scaffold in York in 1739 he was determined to look his best. The previous day he had had a new frock coat and pumps delivered to him in the condemned man's cell in York Castle Prison. And he paid £3 and 10 shillings for five men to act as mourners. Who was this notorious highwayman and why did he become so famous? What did he do to become the subject of such extraordinary myths? Most of all, why are highwaymen romantic figures? We have highwayman now: we call them muggers and car-jackers and we don't sing ballads about them or eulogise them for their brave exploits. This is a masterly biography of one of Britain's best-known criminals - but it is also an examination of the cult of the highwayman, of crime in the 18th century and the treatment of criminals. In the absence of any police force how were crimes solved? Who did the detective work? And did the criminals get a fair trial - an important question if you were going to hang from the neck for a relatively minor misdemeanour. Was there a criminal underclass and did people really live in terror of going on the roads at night?

My Thoughts:

A very detailed account of highwaymen in general and the crimes that they committed. A well researched book but I felt there could have been more about Dick Turpin as there were only a couple of chapters that concentrated on him. I felt a little bogged down at times and that the book was rambling on. This is probably because I don’t cope with factual books very well and do prefer to read about real people in fictional form.

A good reserched book if somebody wants to read about Dick Turpin and fellow highwaymen of the times.

[Tim]

Absolute garbage. For crying out loud he spends a whole chapter prattling on about a guy that wrote a book about Turpin.... I wanted to read a book about Turpin, not who played Bid Dick in the carry on movies that’s loosely based on dick Turpin, sorely disappointed with this one. Should of done better research first. Threw my copy in the bin 10 pages from the end i was that disinterested to see how it ended. He even says in the book not a lot is known about Turpin, wish id known that before I wasted my money on this crap...

[Dr Jonathan]

Great book about Turpin, his associates, law and order and crime in the eighteenth century as well as an examination of the myth created in the nineteenth century and beyond about this dangerous thug. Wide ranging and well sourced, it is ideal for the general reader as well as the student interested in researching the topic further. The best book, so far, on the topic. Strongly recommended.

[RDax Adams]

The story of Dick Turpin is mostly legend, so this is quite a short book at 220 pages. However, it does cover how the story of one lone highway became a legend and has a chapter of him in films etc.

East to read in a pleasant style, well worth it if you re at all interested in their area of history of English historical crime.

[Chrissie]

For a shortish book, this took me a while to read! Don't let that put you off, I had a lot going on... No huge surprises in the real nature of highwaymen, but some interesting facts along the way, including illuminating ones about crime and punishment in the period.

[Keith]

Just could not get into this.

[Jill]

I used this book on for a research project where I was studying court cases form the Old Bailey. Unlike a lot of non-fiction works, I loved the writing in this book. I never knew anything about Dick Turpin and the Gregory Gang. This book was super informative and actually a quick read.

[Martin]

Interesting and easy to read. The first half of the book doesn't feature much about Turpin at all but is background to highwaymen and crime at that time. The reason for this becomes apparent in the latter sections.

[Martin Harrison]

Interesting!

[Duncan]

a fascinating look at the life and legend of dick turpin. it covers various aspects which contribute to a largely ignored essex criminal into an icon.

hightly recommended

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: the truth about highwayman Dick Turpin is quite nasty. He went to the scaffold in York in 1739.