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For 100 years, between the 17th and 18th centuries, Houndslow
Heath was the
most dangerous place in England. Across the Heath ran the Bath and
Exeter roads used by wealthy visitors to the West Country resorts
and courtiers returning to Windsor. These travellers
provided rich pickings for highwaymen.
Dick
Turpin is one of the best remembered highwaymen who operated in
this area, although he was often to be found in North London,
Essex and Yorkshire. Turpin was born in Hempstead in Essex
in 1706 and trained as a butcher. Turpin frequently used the
Old Swan Inn at Wroughton-on-the-Green in Buckinghamshire as his
base. He was finally imprisoned in York and was later hanged and
buried there in 1739. His grave can be seen in the
churchyard of St. Denys and St. George in York.
Turpin's
famous ride from London to York was almost certainly not made by
him but by another highwayman, 'Swift Nicks' Nevison during the
reign of Charles II. Nevison also ended up on the gallows
at York and the leg-irons which held him while in prison there
before his execution can be seen in York Castle
Museum
The
most gallant of the Heath's highwaymen was French-born
Claude
Duval. He was idolised by the ladies he robbed, as he made
much use of his 'gallic charm'. His manners it seems were
impeccable as far as his lady victims were concerned! He
once insisted on dancing with one of his victims after robbing her
husband of £100. Duval was hanged in 1670 and buried at
Convent Garden. His grave was marked (now destroyed) by a
stone with the following epitaph:- "Here lies Duval, if male
thou art, look to your purse, if female to thy heart." Most
of the highwaymen were not like Duval, they were really no more
than 'thugs', but one exception was Twysden, Bishop of Raphoe who
was killed carrying out a robbery on the Heath. Three
brothers, Harry, Tom and Dick Dunsdon were famous 18th century
highwaymen in Oxfordshire. Legend has it that Sampson
Pratley fought one of these brothers in the Royal Oak Inn in
Field Assarts. The fight was really a wager to see who was the
strongest and the prize was to be a sack of potatoes for the
winner. Sampson Pratley won, but never got his potatoes as
two of the brothers were caught shortly afterwards and hanged at
Gloucester in 1784. Their bodies were brought back to
Shipton-under-Wychwood and gibbeted from an oak tree. Dick
Dunsdon had bled to death when Tom and Harry had had to cut off one of his
arms to free his hand which was trapped in a door-shutter, as they
were attempting to rob a house. Few
highwaymen survived beyond their early twenties - they were
usually betrayed for 'blood money' or were captured through their
own stupidity. ©
HUK
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