In Essex during the early part of the 18th century, the name Richard "Dick" Turpin became notorious and rather romanticised - albeit wrongly.
A Villian in the Making.
Born in Hempstead, north Essex in 1705, Richard "Dick" Turpin was the fifth of six children born at the Bell Inn (later the Rose and Crown). His parents were Mary and John Turpin and he was baptised on 21 September 1705 in the same church where his parents were married in 1695.
Hempstead and Epping Forest in Essex
Turpin's father was the landlord of the Bell Inn situated in Hempstead village (still extant - currently the Bluebell Inn). The boy was apprenticed to a local butcher but Turpin quickly became bored and soon began poaching deer. An unfortunate shooting incident in which a man was killed brought Turpin to the authorities. He joined a gang of deer-stealers led by an Essex blacksmith, Samuel Gregory and ultimately became a career desperado working around Epping Forest and Buckhurst Hill, the latter then a small village. No one was immune from his thieving ways. He was a poacher, house-breaker, horse-thief, smuggler and eventually, a murderer, but it was arrogance and audacity as a highwayman that Dick Turpin became infamous.
'Stand and Deliver'
Turpin's involvement in the crime for which he is most closely associated - highway robbery followed the arrest of the Gregory Gang, as they were then known in 1735. He laid low for a while before resurfacing with two new accomplices, one of whom he may have accidentally shot and killed. Turpin fled from the scene and shortly afterwards killed another man who tried to capture him.
Roasting Widow Shelley
One Saturday night, Widow Shelley at Loughton in Essex, was threatened with murder if she did not disclose where her money was hidden. She refused, even though the felons threatened to lay her across the fire and burn her. The report in the Read's Weekly Journal dated 8 February 1735 terrified readers in the Essex area. But still he continued robbing coaches and anyone whom he felt had money on their person.
Reward Dead or Alive
So despicable were the exploits of Turpin and his cohorts that the Duke of Newcastle (on behalf of the king) offered a reward of £50, a large fortune at the time,in exchange for information leading to the conviction of the "several persons involved in previous robberies, and the robberies in the area"..
Little is known of Turpin's movements during 1736. Posters were circulated all around Essex and it was believed that he had travelled to Holland as various sightings were reported there, but he may also have assumed an alias and disappeared from public view. He adopted an alias of John Palmer (his wife's maiden name) . In February 1737 however he spent the night at Puckeridge with his wife and her maid. A letter arranging the meeting by letter was intercepted by the authorities. While Turpin eluded his enemies, by escaping then to Cambridge, his erstwhile accomplices were arrested on charges of "violent suspicion of being dangerous rogues and robbing upon the highway". They were imprisoned at Hertford gaol and eventually executed.
Dick Turpin's Capture and Demise
Evading the authorities for some time, Turpin was eventually captured. He was found guilty on two charges of horse theft and sentenced to death. He was executed at York on 7 April 1739.
Modern Day Memories
One hundred years after his execution, Turpin became the subject of legend by the writer William Harrison Ainsworth (1805-82).who portrayed him as a dashing hero in English ballads and theatrical opera.
Sources:
Gunby, Norman, The Potted History of Ilford published by southend Press,1996
Kent, Sylvia, Folklore of Essex, published by Tempus , 2005
Read's Weekly Journal dated 8 February 1735
