Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft.

Jan 13, 2025 · Dick Turpin was an English robber who became celebrated in legend and fiction. Son of an alehouse keeper, Turpin was apprenticed to a butcher, but, having been detected at cattle stealing, he joined a notorious gang of deer stealers and smugglers in Essex.

Feb 27, 2024 · Robber and highwayman Dick Turpin was executed for his crimes in York on April 7, 1739 — but he's lived on ever since as a romanticized English folk hero.

Nov 19, 2021 · Turpin was a selfish, violent career criminal who preyed on innocent people and struck fear into entire communities. One of Harrison’s most repeated claims, that Turpin once rode 150 miles from London to York in one night on his trusted horse Black Bess, was also a fabrication but the myth endured.

It’s not just impeccable manners and sartorial elegance that we wrongly associate with Dick Turpin. One of his most famous exploits, the ride through the night from Kent to York, was actually carried out by a man called John ‘Swift Nick’ Nevison, some 30 years before Turpin was born.

Nov 1, 2022 · Known in our collective imagination as a dashing highwayman who robbed the rich, saved damsels in distress and eluded the law, Georgian highwayman Dick Turpin (1705 –1739) is one of the most notorious criminals of the 18th century.

Dick Turpin (1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman. He made a lot of money through many criminal activities, such as poaching, burglary, horse theft and murder.

The historical facts behind the Turpin legend are well documented, and it is equally clear when, and by whom, the popular image was created. Dick Turpin was a butcher’s son, born in Hempstead, Essex, in 1705. He joined a group of violent criminals active on the outskirts of London in 1734.

Apr 22, 2024 · It might have been 285 years since Turpin’s execution but myths and stories about his exploits live on, sadly, in reality, Dick Turpin wasn’t quite the romantic hero we remember him to be. Here’s everything you need to know about the …

Born in Essex, Turpin was a member of the violent Gregory Gang, becoming a highwayman when they split up. Having shot and killed a man who attempted to capture him he fled to Yorkshire.