Highway robbery

One of the most frequent and audacious crimes in past times was that of highway robbery, an offence made easier for the perpetrators because roads were unlit at night and the surfaces often uneven making the passage of coaches slow and riding horseback difficult and so it was comparatively easy for the thieves to stop anyone they encountered.

Professional highwaymen who preyed on travellers usually travelled and robbed by horse whereas footpads were always on foot but both were equally dangerous if they encountered opposition.

Some operated individually but others in pairs or in small gangs, often attacking stage coaches which had little protection, and their famous demand "Stand and deliver!" has been well used in fiction. There is also a long history of treating highway robbers as heroes because they were often admired as bold men who confronted their victims face to face, Dick Turpin (1705-39) being the most famous, but most of their deeds have been romanticised and they were little more than villains out to make a quick penny, Turpin himself being finally executed at York for horse theft.

Most highwaymen and footpads operated on the main roads but few thoroughfares were safe after dark, even the country lanes around Bourne, and the following cases have been culled from the columns of the local newspapers and elsewhere.

1813: John Palmer, a carrier, was attacked by three footpads about 5 o'clock this morning, Sunday 31st January 1813, on the highway near Thorpe's Mill at Market Deeping, one of whom fired a pistol ball through the fleshy part of Palmer's left arm and would have otherwise maltreated him had he not defended himself against the three villains who tried, without effect, to pull him out of his cart, he having threatened to shoot them with a pistol (which would not go off), on which they ran away. A woman passenger (Mrs Parr, of Deeping, who was sitting by the side of Palmer with her infant) had her eyebrows singed by the priming of the villain's pistol. Between the hours of 8 and 10 o'clock, three men came to the New Inn at Market Deeping, on foot. One was a tall thin man, with large whiskers, a dark great coat, and boots, one a low stout man, with a light pair of small clothes, boots and a dark great coat. These two were there an hour and a half before the other man came. The last man (who never sat down) was of a middling size and had on a dark great coat and gaiters. They left the house about 10 o'clock on Saturday night. These three man are suspected to be the same persons who stopped and wounded Palmer. Whoever will discover the offender or offenders, so that they may be prosecuted to conviction, shall receive a reward of ten guineas from the said John Palmer at the Royal Oak, Stamford, over and above the reward of forty pounds allowed by Act of Parliament. If any one of them will impeach his accomplices, he shall be entitled to the above reward and every endeavour will be used to obtain his pardon. - news report from the Grimsby Guardian and General Advertiser, 5th February 1813.

1845: Don't give anyone a ride: A daring robbery was committed on Friday night last, about 10 o'clock, between Thurlby and Bourne. As Mr Lowe, brother of Mr John Lowe, of Morton, was returning from Stamford market with a horse and spring cart via Thurlby, when he was near the wood he was asked by a man travelling in the same direction for "a ride" to which he readily assented. They had not travelled far before they were met by a confederate who, sharply calling out to the horse "Wo", it suddenly stopped; at which moment the man in the cart pulled Mr Lowe back and with the assistance of his comrade plundered his pockets of between £10 and £12 in gold and silver, with a comb and a knife, and immediately the two fellows made off in the direction of Thurlby. - news report from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 21st March 1845.

1847: On Tuesday night, between 5 and 6 o'clock, as Mr Thomas Pell, of Rippingale, was returning from Bourne, within 100 yards of the north end of that town he was attacked by two men, one of whom cast a sharp cord round his neck and almost strangled him, whilst the other robbed him of a hunting watch, metal chain, seal, and key, and a nankeen purse containing 10s., with which they got off. The watch winds up in the face and has a glass inside the case. - news report from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 31st December 1847.

1848: On Tuesday evening last, between 6 and 7 o'clock, a highway robbery was committed between Market Deeping and Langtoft, upon Mr Joseph Marriott, a brazier residing at the former place. Mr Marriott had been into the neighbourhood collecting debts and when within a mile of Deeping on his return, he was met by three men who knocked him down and robbed him of between £2 and £4 in gold and silver and an old-fashioned silver watch, maker's name "Chas. Rowbotham, Leicester, No 59,732". After violently beating him, the robbers departed. With some difficulty, Mr Marriott reached home and is now suffering from the injuries he received. No clue to the offenders has been obtained although active steps have been taken to apprehend them. Almost immediately after, the mail cart proceeding from Bourne to Peterborough was stopped by the same party (it is supposed). In the last case, however, the presenting of a brace of pistols made the sinners scamper.- news report from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 10th March 1848.

1849: On Friday last, a daring highway robbery was committed upon Mr Thomas Wilson, a travelling draper, of Stamford. As he was passing about midday along a lonely lane called Gunberry Lane, between Edenham and Hanthorpe, he was surprised on observing two men having the appearance of navvies come towards him from a thicket or spinney. In a very short time, one of them armed with a bludgeon, went up to him and with a threat demanded money; at the same time holding up the formidable weapon as if to fell him to the ground. During this time, the other man caught hold of Mr W by the collar of his coat behind and pulled him backwards; both then fell upon him and extracted from his pockets £6 12s. in cash: they also violently broke a silver guard-chain and took from him a silver watch, the outside case of which is rather loose; after which they felt in all his pockets and finding nothing more, took to their heels and went into a wood in the direction of Corby [Glen]. The robbers are stout young men, 5 feet 7 or 8 inches high, and wore slops [loose smocks or overalls] and caps with tassels to them. Mr Wilson gave information of the outrage as soon as he arrived in Bourne but we hear that the authorities there did not use any exertion to secure the offenders. A reward of £10 is offered for their apprehension and conviction. - news report from the Stamford Mercury, Friday 2nd February 1849.

NOTE: Illustration above reproduced from Wikipedia  is of William Powell Frith's 1860 painting
entitled Claude Duval and depicting a romanticised image of highway robbery.