![Asalto al coche](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Asalto_al_coche.jpg)
A highwayman was a
robber who stole from travellers. This type of
thief usually travelled and robbed by
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
as compared to a
footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads. Such
criminals
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...
operated until the mid or late 19th century. Highwaywomen, such as
Katherine Ferrers
Katherine Ferrers (4 May 1634 – c. 13 June 1660) was an English gentlewoman and heiress. According to popular legend, she was also the "Wicked Lady", a highwaywoman who terrorised the English county of Hertfordshire before dying from gunsh ...
, were said to also exist, often dressing as men, especially in fiction.
The first attestation of the word ''highwayman'' is from 1617.
Euphemism
A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes ...
s such as "knights of the road" and "gentlemen of the road" were sometimes used by people interested in romanticizing (with a
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...
–esque slant) what was often an especially violent form of stealing. In the 19th-century American West, highwaymen were sometimes known as ''road agents''. In Australia, they were known as
bushranger
Bushrangers were originally escaped convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who used the bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. By the 1820s, the term had evolved to refer to those who took up " robbery unde ...
s.
Robbing
The great age of highwaymen was the period from the
Restoration in 1660 to the death of
Queen Anne in 1714. Some of them are known to have been disbanded soldiers and even officers of the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...
and French wars. What favoured them most was the lack of governance and absence of a police force: parish constables were almost wholly ineffective and commonplace detection and arrest were very difficult. Most of the highwaymen held up travellers and took their money. Some had channels by which they could dispose of bills of exchange. Others had a 'racket' on the road transport of an extensive district; carriers regularly paid them a ransom to go unmolested.
They often attacked
coaches
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Coac ...
for their lack of protection, including public
stagecoach
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are dra ...
es; the
postboys who carried the mail were also frequently held up. The demand to "
Stand and deliver
''Stand and Deliver'' is a 1988 American drama film directed by Ramón Menéndez, written by Menéndez and Tom Musca, based on the true story of a high school mathematics teacher, Jaime Escalante. For portraying Escalante, Edward James Olmos ...
!" (sometimes in forms such as "Stand and deliver your purse!" "Stand and deliver your money!") was in use from the 17th century to the 19th century.
The phrase "Your money or your life!" is mentioned in trial reports from the mid-18th century:
Victims of highwaymen included the Prime Minister
Lord North
Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (13 April 17325 August 1792), better known by his courtesy title Lord North, which he used from 1752 to 1790, was 12th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most o ...
, who wrote in 1774: "I was robbed last night as I expected, our loss was not great, but as the postilion did not stop immediately one of the two highwaymen fired at him (They had guns at the time) – It was at the end of
Gunnersbury
Gunnersbury is an area of West London, England.
Toponymy
The name "Gunnersbury" means "Manor house of a woman called Gunnhildr", and is from an old Scandinavian personal name + Middle English -''bury'', manor or manor house.
Development
Gun ...
Lane."
Horace Walpole
Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whig politician.
He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twi ...
, who was shot at in Hyde Park, wrote that "One is forced to travel, even at noon, as if one was going to battle." During this period, crime was rife and encounters with highwaymen or women could be bloody if the victim attempted to resist. The historian
Roy Porter
Roy Sydney Porter, FBA (31 December 1946 – 3 March 2002) was a British historian known for his work on the history of medicine. He retired in 2001 from the director of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine at University College ...
described the use of direct, physical action as a hallmark of public and political life: "From the rough-house of the crowd to the dragoons' musket volley, violence was as English as plum pudding. Force was used not just criminally, but as a matter of routine to achieve social and political goals, smudging hard-and-fast distinctions between the worlds of criminality and politics... Highwaymen were romanticized, with a hidden irony, as 'gentlemen of the road."
Robbers as heroes
There is a long history of treating highway robbers as heroes. Originally they were admired by many as bold men who confronted their victims
face-to-face and were ready to fight for what they wanted.
Medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
outlaw
An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill th ...
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...
is regarded as an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
folk hero. Later robber heroes included the
Cavalier
The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). ...
highwayman
James Hind, the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
-born gentleman highwayman
Claude Du Vall
Claude Du Vall (or Duval) (164321 January 1670) was a French highwayman in Restoration England. He came from a family of decayed nobility, and worked in the service of exiled royalists who returned to England under King Charles II. Little els ...
,
John Nevison
John Nevison (1639 – 4 May 1684), also known as William Nevison or Nevinson, was one of Britain's most notorious highwaymen, a gentleman rogue supposedly nicknamed ''Swift Nick'' by King Charles II after a renowned dash from Kent to York to es ...
,
Dick Turpin
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. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ea ...
,
Sixteen String Jack,
William Plunkett and his partner the "Gentleman Highwayman"
James MacLaine
"Captain" James Maclaine (occasionally "Maclean", "MacLean", or "Maclane") (1724 – 3 October 1750) was an Irish man of a respectable presbyterian family who had a brief but notorious career as a mounted highwayman in London with his accompl ...
, the Slovak
Juraj Jánošík
Juraj Jánošík (first name also ''Juro'' or ''Jurko'', ; baptised 25 January 1688, died 17 March 1713) was a Slovak highwayman. Jánošík has been the main character of many Slovak novels, poems, and films. According to the legend, he robbed ...
, and Indians including
Kayamkulam Kochunni
Kayamkulam Kochunni (born 1818) was a heroic outlaw from Kayamkulam, who lived during the late 19th century. He was active in the Travancore area in the present-day Kerala, India. He is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. Le ...
,
Veerappan
Koose Munisamy Veerappan (18 January 1952 – 18 October 2004) was an Indian bandit turned domestic terrorist who was active for 36 years, and kidnapped major politicians for ransom. He was charged with sandalwood smuggling and poaching o ...
, and
Phoolan Devi. In the same way, the
Puerto Rican pirate
Roberto Cofresí also came to be venerated as a hero.
British-ruled Ireland
In the
17th- through early-19th-century Ireland, acts of robbery were often part of a tradition of Irish resistance to British authority and the
Protestant ascendancy in Ireland. From the mid-17th century onwards, highwaymen who harassed the British authorities were known as 'tories' (from Irish ''
tóraidhe'', raider; ''tóraí'' in
modern spelling). Later in the century, they became known as
rapparee
Rapparees or raparees (from the Irish ''ropairí'', plural of ''ropaire'', whose primary meaning is "thruster, stabber," and by extension a wielder of the half-pike or pike), were Irish guerrilla fighters who operated on the Jacobite side du ...
s. Their ranks included
James Freney,
Redmond O'Hanlon
Redmond O'Hanlon, FRGS, FRSL (born 5 June 1947) is an English writer and scholar.
Life
O'Hanlon was born in 1947 in Dorset, England. He was educated at Marlborough College and then Oxford University. After taking his M.Phil. in nineteenth-c ...
,
Willy Brennan, and Jeremiah Grant.
Dangerous places
English highwaymen often laid in wait on the main roads radiating from London. They usually chose lonely areas of
heathland
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...
or
woodland
A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...
.
Hounslow Heath
Hounslow Heath is a local nature reserve in the London Borough of Hounslow and at a point borders Richmond upon Thames. The public open space, which covers , is all that remains of the historic Hounslow Heath which covered more than . The pre ...
was a favourite haunt: it was crossed by the roads to
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
and
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
.
Bagshot Heath
Swinley Forest is a large expanse of Crown Estate woodland managed by Forestry England mainly within the civil parishes of Windlesham in Surrey and Winkfield and Crowthorne in Berkshire, England.
Coverage
Situated to the south-west of Windsor ...
in
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...
was another dangerous place on the road to Exeter. One of the most notorious places in England was
Shooter's Hill
Shooter's Hill (or Shooters Hill) is a district in South East London within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It borders the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north of Eltham and south of Woolwich. With a height of , it is the highest point i ...
on the
Great Dover Road.
Finchley Common
Finchley Common was an area of land in Middlesex, north of London, and until 1816, the boundary between the parishes of Finchley, Friern Barnet and Hornsey.
History
Its use as a common is quite late. Rights to the common were claimed by the ...
, on the
Great North Road, was nearly as bad.
To the south of London, highwaymen sought to attack wealthy travellers on the roads leading to and from the
Channel ports and aristocratic areas like
Epsom
Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...
, which became a fashionable spa town in 1620, and
Banstead Downs where horse races and sporting events became popular with the elite from 1625. Later in the 18th century the road from London to
Reigate
Reigate ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earliest archaeological evidence for huma ...
and
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
through
Sutton attracted highwaymen. Commons and heaths considered to be dangerous included
Blackheath,
Putney Heath
Wimbledon Common is a large open space in Wimbledon, southwest London. There are three named areas: Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath, and Putney Lower Common, which together are managed under the name Wimbledon and Putney Commons totalling 4 ...
,
Streatham Common
Streatham Common is a large open space on the southern edge of Streatham in the London Borough of Lambeth. The shallow sloping lower (western) half of the common is mostly mowed grass, and the upper (eastern) half is mostly woodland with some s ...
,
Mitcham Common,
Thornton Heath
Thornton Heath is a district of Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is around north of the town of Croydon, and south of Charing Cross. Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, Thornton Heath was in the Co ...
– also the site of a gallows known as "Hangman's Acre" or "Gallows Green" –
Sutton Common
Sutton Common is the name of former common land and a district and neighbourhood located in Sutton, London. The area is mostly located within the London Borough of Sutton, with some of the streets to the north and west of Sutton Common Park ...
, Banstead Downs and
Reigate Heath
Reigate Heath is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Reigate in Surrey. An area of is also a Local Nature Reserve. Seven bowl barrows dating to the Bronze Age are designated Scheduled Monuments.
Most of the site is heath ...
.
During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, highwaymen in
Hyde Park were sufficiently common for
King William III
William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the ...
to have the route between
St James's Palace
St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Alt ...
and
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official L ...
(
Rotten Row
Rotten Row is a broad track running along the south side of Hyde Park in London. It leads from Hyde Park Corner to Serpentine Road. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Rotten Row was a fashionable place for upper-class Londoners to be seen hor ...
) lit at night with oil lamps as a precaution against them. This made it the first
artificially lit highway in Britain.
Executions
![Cartoucheroué](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Cartoucherou%C3%A9.JPG)
The penalty for robbery with violence was
hanging
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging ...
, and most notorious English highwaymen ended on the
gallows
A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...
. The chief place of execution for London and
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
was
Tyburn Tree
Tyburn was a manor (estate) in the county of Middlesex, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone.
The parish, probably therefore also the manor, was bounded by Roman roads to the west (modern Edgware Road) and south (modern ...
. Highwaymen whose lives ended there include
Claude Du Vall
Claude Du Vall (or Duval) (164321 January 1670) was a French highwayman in Restoration England. He came from a family of decayed nobility, and worked in the service of exiled royalists who returned to England under King Charles II. Little els ...
,
James MacLaine
"Captain" James Maclaine (occasionally "Maclean", "MacLean", or "Maclane") (1724 – 3 October 1750) was an Irish man of a respectable presbyterian family who had a brief but notorious career as a mounted highwayman in London with his accompl ...
, and
Sixteen-string Jack. Highwaymen who went to the gallows laughing and joking, or at least showing no fear, are said to have been admired by many of the people who came to watch.
Decline
During the 18th century French rural roads were generally safer from highwaymen than those of England, an advantage credited by the historian
Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville (; 29 July 180516 April 1859), colloquially known as Tocqueville (), was a French aristocrat, diplomat, political scientist, political philosopher and historian. He is best known for his wo ...
to the existence of a uniformed and disciplined mounted constabulary known as the
Maréchaussée
The () were corps of soldiers in the armies of France initially put in charge of military policing and justice in the Middle Ages, and later extended to civilian responsibilities. They gradually coalesced into a police force with jurisdicti ...
. In England this force was often confused with the regular army and as such cited as an instrument of royal tyranny not to be imitated.
In England the causes of the decline are more controversial. After about 1815, mounted robbers are recorded only rarely, the last recorded robbery by a mounted highwayman having occurred in 1831. The decline in highwayman activity also occurred during the period in which repeating handguns, notably the
pepper-box
The pepper-box revolver or simply pepperbox (also "pepper-pot", from its resemblance to the household pepper shakers) is a multiple-barrel firearm, mostly in the form of a handgun, that has three or more gun barrels in a coaxially revolving me ...
and the
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
revolver, became increasingly available and affordable to the average citizen. The development of the
railways
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
is sometimes cited as a factor, but highwaymen were already obsolete before the railway network was built. The expansion of the system of
turnpikes, manned and gated
toll-roads, made it all but impossible for a highwayman to escape notice while making his getaway, but he could easily avoid such systems and use other roads, almost all of which outside the cities were flanked by open country.
Cities such as London were becoming much better policed: in 1805 a body of mounted police began to patrol the districts around the city at night. London was growing rapidly, and some of the most dangerous open spaces near the city, such as
Finchley Common
Finchley Common was an area of land in Middlesex, north of London, and until 1816, the boundary between the parishes of Finchley, Friern Barnet and Hornsey.
History
Its use as a common is quite late. Rights to the common were claimed by the ...
, were being covered with buildings. However this only moved the robbers' operating area further out, to the new exterior of an expanded city, and does not therefore explain decline. A greater use of
banknote
A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable instrument, negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand.
Banknotes w ...
s, more traceable than gold coins, also made life more difficult for robbers, but the
Inclosure Act of 1773 was followed by a sharp decline in highway robberies; stone walls falling over the open range like a net, confined the escaping highwaymen to the roads themselves, which now had walls on both sides and were better patrolled.
The dramatic population increase which began with the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
also meant, quite simply, that there were more eyes around, and the concept of remote place became a thing of the past in England.
Outside Anglophone countries
Greece
The bandits in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
under Ottoman rule were the
Klephts
Klephts (; Greek κλέφτης, ''kléftis'', pl. κλέφτες, ''kléftes'', which means "thieves" and perhaps originally meant just "brigand": "Other Greeks, taking to the mountains, became unofficial, self-appointed armatoles and were kno ...
(κλέφτες), Greeks who had taken refuge in the inaccessible mountains. The klephts, who acted as a guerilla force, were instrumental in the
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...
.
Kingdom of Hungary
The highwaymen of the 17th- to 19th-century
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...
were the ''betyárs'' (
Slovak: ''zbojník'', pl. ''zbojníci''). Until the 1830s they were mainly simply regarded as criminals but an increasing public appetite for betyar songs, ballads and stories gradually gave a romantic image to these armed and usually mounted robbers. Several of the betyárs have become legendary figures who in the public mind fought for social justice. Hungarian betyárs included
Sándor Rózsa
Sándor Rózsa (born July 10, 1813, Röszke – died November 22, 1878, Szamosújvár) was a Hungarian outlaw (in Hungarian: '' betyár'') from the Great Hungarian Plain. He is the best-known Hungarian highwayman; his life inspired numerous wr ...
( sk, Šaňo Róža),
Jóska Sobri, Márton Vidróczki, Jóska Savanyú.
Juraj Jánošík
Juraj Jánošík (first name also ''Juro'' or ''Jurko'', ; baptised 25 January 1688, died 17 March 1713) was a Slovak highwayman. Jánošík has been the main character of many Slovak novels, poems, and films. According to the legend, he robbed ...
( hu, Jánosik György ), who was born and operated in Upper Hungary (now
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
), is still regarded as the Slovak version of
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...
.
India
The Indian Subcontinent has had a long and documented history of organised robbery for millennia. These included the
Thuggees
Thuggee (, ) are actions and crimes carried out by Thugs, historically, organised gangs of professional robbers and murderers in India. The English word ''thug'' traces its roots to the Hindi ठग (), which means 'swindler' or 'deceiver'. Rela ...
, a quasi-religious group that robbed travellers on Indian roads until the cult was systematically eradicated in the mid-1800s by British colonial administrators. Thugees would befriend large road caravans and gain their confidence, before strangling them to death and robbing their valuables. According to some estimates the Thuggees murdered a million people between 1740 and 1840. More generally, armed bands known colloquially as "
dacoits
Dacoity is a term used for "banditry" in the Indian subcontinent. The spelling is the anglicised version of the Hindi word ''daaku''; "dacoit" is a colloquial Indian English word with this meaning and it appears in the ''Glossary of Colloquial ...
" have long wreaked havoc on many parts of the country. In recent times this has often served as a way to fund various regional and political insurgencies that includes the Maoist
Naxalite movement.
Kayamkulam Kochunni
Kayamkulam Kochunni (born 1818) was a heroic outlaw from Kayamkulam, who lived during the late 19th century. He was active in the Travancore area in the present-day Kerala, India. He is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. Le ...
was also a famed highwayman who was active in
Central Travancore in the early 19th century. Along with his close friend Ithikkarappkki from the nearby Ithikkara village, he is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. With the help of an
Ezhava
The Ezhavas () are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community. They are also known as ''Ilhava'' ...
warrior called
Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker
Arattupuzha Velayudha Chekavar, also known as Kallisseril Velayudha Chekavar (7 January 1825 – 3 January 1874) was a 19th-century social reformer and warrior, known for his fight against many social evils prevalent in the state of Kerala. He ...
, Kochunni was arrested and sent to Poojappura Central Jail. Legends of his works are compiled in
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, rangin ...
and are still read and heard today.
The Balkans and eastern Europe
The bandits in Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and Bulgaria under Ottoman rule were the
Hajduks
A hajduk ( hu, hajdúk, plural of ) is a type of irregular infantry found in Central and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries. They have reputations ranging from bandits to freedom fighters depending on time, ...
(Hajduci, Хајдуци, Хайдути), rebels who opposed Ottoman rule and acted as a guerilla force, also instrumental in the many wars against the Ottomans and especially the
Serbian revolution. Serbian and Croatian refugees in Austro-Hungarian (and Habsburg) lands were also part of the
Uskoci
The Uskoks ( hr, Uskoci, , singular: ; notes on naming) were irregular soldiers in Habsburg Croatia that inhabited areas on the eastern Adriatic coast and surrounding territories during the Ottoman wars in Europe. Bands of Uskoks fought a g ...
. Notable freedom fighters include
Starina Novak, a notable outlaw was
Jovo Stanisavljević Čaruga
Jovan "Jovo" Stanisavljević ( sr-cyr, Јовaн "Јово" Станисављевић; 1897–27 February 1925), known by his nickname ''Čaruga'' (Чаруга), was a Serbian outlaw (''hajduk'') in Slavonia in the early 20th century.
Early l ...
.
In medieval Vlachia, Moldavia, Transylvania, and Ukraine, the Haiduks (Romanian – Haiduci) or Gaiduks (Ukrainian – Гайдуки) were bandits and deserters who lived in forests and robbed local Boyars or other travelers along roads. Sometimes they would help the poor peasants. In the 1800s,
betyárs became common in Hungary.
Literature and popular culture
![Dickturpin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Dickturpin.jpg)
In
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Henry IV, Part 1
''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...
''
Falstaff is a highwayman, and part of the action of the play concerns a robbery committed by him and his companions. Another highwayman in
English drama
Drama was introduced to Britain from Europe by the Romans, and auditoriums were constructed across the country for this purpose.
But England didn't exist until hundreds of years after the Romans left.
Medieval period
By the medieval period, ...
is
Captain Macheath Captain Macheath is a fictional character who appears both in John Gay's ''The Beggar's Opera'' (1728), its sequel '' Polly'' (1777), and roughly 150 years later in Bertolt Brecht's ''The Threepenny Opera'' (1928).
Origins
Macheath made his firs ...
, hero of
John Gay
John Gay (30 June 1685 – 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for '' The Beggar's Opera'' (1728), a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly P ...
's 18th-century
ballad opera The ballad opera is a genre of English stage entertainment that originated in the early 18th century, and continued to develop over the following century and later. Like the earlier '' comédie en vaudeville'' and the later ''Singspiel'', its dist ...
''
The Beggar's Opera
''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satiri ...
''. The legend of
Dick Turpin
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. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ea ...
was significantly boosted by ''
Rookwood'' (1834), in which a heavily fictionalised Turpin is one of the main characters.
Alfred Noyes
Alfred Noyes CBE (16 September 188025 June 1958) was an English poet, short-story writer and playwright.
Early years
Noyes was born in Wolverhampton, England the son of Alfred and Amelia Adams Noyes. When he was four, the family moved to Ab ...
's
narrative poem
Narrative poetry is a form of poetry that tells a story, often using the voices of both a narrator and characters; the entire story is usually written in metered verse. Narrative poems do not need rhyme. The poems that make up this genre may be ...
"
The Highwayman" has been immensely popular ever since its publication in 1906.
From the early 18th century, collections of short stories of highwaymen and other notorious criminals became very popular. The earliest of these is Captain Alexander Smith's ''Complete History of the Lives and Robberies of the Most Notorious Highwaymen'' (1714). Some later collections of this type had the words
The Newgate Calendar
''The Newgate Calendar'', subtitled ''The Malefactors' Bloody Register'', was a popular work of improving literature in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Originally a monthly bulletin of executions, produced by the Keeper of Newgate Prison in Lo ...
in their titles and this has become a general name for this kind of publication.
In the later 19th century, highwaymen such as Dick Turpin were the heroes of a number of
penny dreadful
Penny dreadfuls were cheap popular serial literature produced during the nineteenth century in the United Kingdom. The pejorative term is roughly interchangeable with penny horrible, penny awful, and penny blood. The term typically referred to ...
s, stories for boys published in serial form. In the 20th century the handsome highwayman became a
stock character
A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of s ...
in historical love romances, including books by
Baroness Orczy and
Georgette Heyer
Georgette Heyer (; 16 August 1902 – 4 July 1974) was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance and detective fiction genres. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother ...
.
Sir
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...
's romance ''
The Heart of Midlothian'' (1818) recounts the heroine waylaid by highwaymen while travelling from Scotland to London.
''
Ronia, the Robber's Daughter
''Ronia, the Robber's Daughter'' ( Swedish: ''Ronja rövardotter'') is a children's fantasy book by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, first published in 1981.
The book has been adapted as a prize-winning 1984 film, a Danish and a German musi ...
'' (1981) is a children's
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
book by
Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (; ; 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for several children's book series, featuring Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga, Karlsson-on-t ...
, which portrays the adventures of Ronia, the daughter of the leader of a gang of highwaymen.
Comics
The Belgian comics series ''Robin Dubois'' by
Turk
Turk or Turks may refer to:
Communities and ethnic groups
* Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages
* Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
* Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic o ...
and
De Groot is a
gag-a-day
A gag-a-day comic strip is the style of writing comic cartoons such that every installment of a strip delivers a complete joke or some other kind of artistic statement. It is opposed to story or continuity strips, which rely on the development of ...
series about
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...
's attempts at robbing travellers in the forest.
The Dutch comics series ''
Gilles de Geus
Gilles de Geus ("Gilles de Geus") is a Dutch humoristic/historical comics series, created by Hanco Kolk and Peter de Wit in 1983. It is set in the 16th and 17th centuries during the Eighty Years' War and features the adventures of Gilles, a br ...
'' by
Hanco Kolk
Hanco Kolk (born 11 March 1957, Den Helder) is a Dutch cartoonist and comics artist. He is best known for his collaborations with Peter de Wit, with who he made '' Gilles de Geus'' and ''S1NGLE'
Kolk married author Isabelle Rosselin in 2016.
B ...
and
Peter de Wit
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
was originally a gag-a-day about a failed highwayman called Gilles, but the character later evolved into a resistance fighter with the
Geuzen
Geuzen (; ; french: Les Gueux) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called Watergeuzen (; ; frenc ...
against the Spanish army.
''Ithikkara Pakki'', a graphic children's story book about the Indian highwayman
Ithikkara Pakki, was published in April 2010 in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...
. The life of the Indian highwayman
Kayamkulam Kochunni
Kayamkulam Kochunni (born 1818) was a heroic outlaw from Kayamkulam, who lived during the late 19th century. He was active in the Travancore area in the present-day Kerala, India. He is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. Le ...
was adapted as a comic by Radha M. Nair in the
794th issue of the Indian comic book series,
Amar Chitra Katha
Amar Chitra Katha (ACK Comics) is an Indian publisher of Indian comics and graphic novels. Most of its comics are based on religious legends and epics, historical figures and biographies, folktales and cultural stories. The company was founded ...
.
Music
There were many broadsheet
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
s about highwaymen; these were often written to be sold on the occasion of a famous robber's execution. A number of highwaymen ballads have remained current in
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and Culture, cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Traditio ...
in England and Ireland.
The traditional Irish song "
Whiskey in the Jar" tells the story of an Irish highwayman who robs an army captain, and includes the lines "I first produced me pistol, then I drew me rapier. Said 'Stand and deliver, for you are a bold deceiver'." The hit single version recorded in 1973 by Irish rock band
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or som ...
renders this last line "I said 'Stand-oh and deliver, or the devil he may take ya'."
The traditional Irish song "
The Newry Highwayman
"The Newry Highwayman" is a traditional Irish or British folk song about a criminal's life, deeds, and death. It is also found in Ireland, the USA and Canada with titles such as "Rambling Boy" and "Rude And Rambling Man". The earliest known version ...
" recounts the deeds and death of a highwayman who robbed "the lords and ladies bright". The traditional Irish song "Brennan on the Moor" describes an escapade of the "bold, undaunted robber".
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. The group existed in two incarnations, both fronted by Adam Ant, over the period 1977 to 1982. The first, founded in May 1977 and known simply as The Ants until November of t ...
had a number one song for five weeks in 1981 in the UK with "
Stand and Deliver
''Stand and Deliver'' is a 1988 American drama film directed by Ramón Menéndez, written by Menéndez and Tom Musca, based on the true story of a high school mathematics teacher, Jaime Escalante. For portraying Escalante, Edward James Olmos ...
". The video featured Adam Ant as an English highwayman.
The contemporary folk song "On the Road to Fairfax County" by
David Massengill, recorded by
The Roches
The Roches were an American vocal trio of sisters Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche, from Park Ridge, New Jersey.
Career
In the late 1960s, eldest sister Maggie (October 26, 1951 – January 21, 2017) and middle sister Terre (pronounced "Terry" ...
and by
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
, recounts a romantic encounter between a highwayman and his female victim. In the end, the highwayman is hanged over the objections of his victim.
Musician
Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", " By the Time I Get to Phoenix", " MacArthur Park", " Wichita Lineman", " Wo ...
penned and recorded a song entitled "
Highwayman
A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to fo ...
" in 1977 about a soul with incarnations in four different places in time and history, a highwayman, a
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
, a construction worker on the
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on S ...
, and finally as a
star ship captain.
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...
recorded a version of the song in 1978, but the most popular incarnation of the song was recorded by
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...
,
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...
,
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music.
Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...
and
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...
in 1984, who as a group called themselves
The Highwaymen.
The Canadian singer
Loreena McKennit adapted the narrative poem, "
The Highwayman" written by
Alfred Noyes
Alfred Noyes CBE (16 September 188025 June 1958) was an English poet, short-story writer and playwright.
Early years
Noyes was born in Wolverhampton, England the son of Alfred and Amelia Adams Noyes. When he was four, the family moved to Ab ...
, as a song by the same title in her 1997 album
The Book of Secrets
''The Book of Secrets'' is the sixth studio album by Loreena McKennitt, released in 1997. It reached #17 on the Billboard 200. Its single "The Mummers' Dance," remixed by DNA, was released during the winter of 1997–98, and peaked at #18 on t ...
.
Cinema and television
The
Carry On films
The ''Carry On'' series of 31 British comedy films were released between 1958 and 1978, produced by Peter Rogers with director Gerald Thomas. The humour of ''Carry On'' was in the British comic tradition of music hall and bawdy seaside postc ...
included a highwayman spoof in ''
Carry On Dick'' (1974).
Monty Python
Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over fou ...
sent up the highwayman legends in the Dennis Moore sketch in Episode 37 of ''
Monty Python's Flying Circus
''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (also known as simply ''Monty Python'') is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who became ...
'', in which
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and ...
played the titular criminal who stole only
lupins. In a linking sketch in an episode of ''
Not the Nine O'Clock News'' a highwayman holds up a stagecoach with pistols - in order to wash the coach in exchange for small monies in the manner of a modern-day unsolicited car window washer in traffic. In ''
Blackadder the Third'',
Mr. E. Blackadder
Edmund Blackadder is the single name given to a collection of fictional characters who appear in the BBC mock-historical comedy series ''Blackadder'', each played by Rowan Atkinson. Although each series is set within a different period of Britis ...
turns highwayman in the episode "
Amy and Amiability". In the British children's television series ''
Dick Turpin
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. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ea ...
'', starring
Richard O'Sullivan, the highwayman was depicted as an 18th-century Robin Hood figure. Additionally the actor
Mathew Baynton
Mathew John Baynton (born 18 November 1980) is an English actor, writer, comedian, singer, and musician best known as a member of the British Horrible Histories troupe in which he starred in the TV series '' Horrible Histories''; as well as an a ...
played Dick Turpin in ''
Horrible Histories
''Horrible Histories'' is an educational entertainment franchise encompassing many media including books, magazines, audio books, stage shows, TV shows, and more.
In 2013, Lisa Edwards, UK publishing and commercial director of Scholastic Corpor ...
''. A singing highwayman appears in the fourth episode of the animated mini-series, ''
Over the Garden Wall
''Over the Garden Wall'' is an American animated television miniseries created by Patrick McHale for Cartoon Network. The series centers on two half-brothers who travel across a mysterious forest to find their way home, encountering a variet ...
'', ''Songs of the Dark Lantern''.
The highwayman known as
Juraj Jánošík
Juraj Jánošík (first name also ''Juro'' or ''Jurko'', ; baptised 25 January 1688, died 17 March 1713) was a Slovak highwayman. Jánošík has been the main character of many Slovak novels, poems, and films. According to the legend, he robbed ...
(1688–1713) became a hero of many folk legends in the
Slovak, Czech, and Polish cultures by the 19th century and hundreds of
literary works about him have since been published.
[Few in English, e.g.: Moore Coleman, Marion (1972). ''A brigand, two queens, and a prankster; stories of Janosik, Queen Bona, Queen Kinga and the Sowizdrzal.'' Cherry Hill Books. ] The first
Slovak feature film was ''
Jánošík'', made in 1921, followed by seven more Slovak and Polish
films about him.
''
Curro Jiménez
''Curro Jiménez'' was a successful Spanish television historical drama series that was first broadcast on La Primera Cadena of Televisión Española from December 22, 1976 to March 25, 1978.
Its main theme was Andalusian "bandolerismo" (bandi ...
'', a Spanish TV series which aired from 1976 to 1979, starred a group of 19th-century highwaymen or ''bandoleros'' in the mountains of
Ronda
Ronda () is a town in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliff-side location and a deep chasm ...
in the south of Spain.
''
Ronia, the Robber's Daughter
''Ronia, the Robber's Daughter'' ( Swedish: ''Ronja rövardotter'') is a children's fantasy book by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, first published in 1981.
The book has been adapted as a prize-winning 1984 film, a Danish and a German musi ...
'' (aka ''Ronja Robbersdaughter'' in the USA) is a 1984 Swedish
fantasy film
Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...
, based on the 1981
novel of the same title by
Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (; ; 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for several children's book series, featuring Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga, Karlsson-on-t ...
, and narrating the adventures of Ronia, the daughter of the leader of a gang of highwaymen.
''
Ronja, the Robber's Daughter'' (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 山賊の娘ローニャ,
Hepburn: ''Sanzoku no Musume Rōnya'') is a Japanese
computer-animated
Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...
television series, also based on Lindgren's novel ''
Ronia, the Robber's Daughter
''Ronia, the Robber's Daughter'' ( Swedish: ''Ronja rövardotter'') is a children's fantasy book by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, first published in 1981.
The book has been adapted as a prize-winning 1984 film, a Danish and a German musi ...
,'' and directed and storyboarded by
Gorō Miyazaki
is a Japanese director. He is the son of animator and film director Hayao Miyazaki, who is one of the co-founders of Studio Ghibli. Described as "reluctant" to follow his father's career, Goro initially worked as a landscaper for many years befo ...
.
The lives of numerous Indian highwaymen including
Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker
Arattupuzha Velayudha Chekavar, also known as Kallisseril Velayudha Chekavar (7 January 1825 – 3 January 1874) was a 19th-century social reformer and warrior, known for his fight against many social evils prevalent in the state of Kerala. He ...
,
Ithikkara Pakki,
Jambulingam Nadar
Jambulingam Nadar was a notorious brigand of the southern Madras Presidency in the early 20th century. He was shot to death by the police on 20 March 1923.
History
Born in Vadalivilai , Tirunelveli district of the state of modern Madras Pres ...
,
Kayamkulam Kochunni
Kayamkulam Kochunni (born 1818) was a heroic outlaw from Kayamkulam, who lived during the late 19th century. He was active in the Travancore area in the present-day Kerala, India. He is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. Le ...
and
Papadu
Sardar Sarvai Papanna Goud (also known as Nasagoni Papanna) (died 1710) was the 17th century king of Quilashapur located in Telangana and bandit of early-18th century India who rose from humble beginnings to become a folklore hero. His deeds have ...
have been adapted for cinema and television multiple times.
Season two, episode 20, of
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated
''Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' (also known as ''Mystery Incorporated'' or ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery, Inc.'') is an American animated television series that serves as the eleventh incarnation of the ''Scooby-Doo'' media franchise created by Han ...
, the main villain (voiced by
James Marsters
James Wesley Marsters (born August 20, 1962) is an American actor, musician, singer, comic book writer, and audiobook narrator.
He is sometimes credited in various anime series and video games as David Gray and Sam Majesters in the series ''Dr ...
) disguises himself as a highwayman.
Films
*''
The Mark of Zorro'' (1920)
*''
Dick Turpin
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. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ea ...
'' (1925)
*''
Dick Turpin
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. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ea ...
'' (1933)
*''
The Adventures of Robin Hood
''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de H ...
'' (1938)
*''
The Night Riders
The Night Riders was the name given by the press to the militant, terrorist faction of tobacco farmers during a popular resistance to the monopolistic practices of the American Tobacco Company of James B. Duke. On September 24, 1904, the tobacco p ...
'' (1939)
*''
Frontier Marshal'' (1939)
*''
My Little Chickadee
''My Little Chickadee'' is a 1940 American comedy-western film starring Mae West and W. C. Fields, featuring Joseph Calleia, Ruth Donnelly, Margaret Hamilton, Donald Meek, Willard Robertson, Dick Foran, William B. Davidson, and Addison Richar ...
'' (1940)
*''
Virginia City
Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Virginia City developed as a boom ...
'' (1940)
*''
The Mark of Zorro'' (1940)
*''
The Wicked Lady
''The Wicked Lady'' is a 1945 British costume drama film directed by Leslie Arliss and starring Margaret Lockwood in the title role as a nobleman's wife who becomes a highwayman for the excitement. The film had one of the top audiences for a f ...
'' (1945)
*''
The Loves of Carmen'' (1948)
*''
The Lady and the Bandit
''Dick Turpin's Ride'' (reissued as ''The Lady and the Bandit'') is a 1951 American adventure film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Louis Hayward. It follows the career of the eighteenth century highwaymen Dick Turpin. It is based on the poem ...
'' (1951)
*''
Bend of the River
''Bend of the River'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julie Adams, and Rock Hudson. Based on the 1950 novel ''Bend of the Snake'' by Bill Gulick, the film is about a tough c ...
'' (1952)
*''
Son of Paleface
''Son of Paleface'' is a 1952 American Comedy Western film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, and Roy Rogers. The film is a sequel to '' The Paleface'' (1948). Written by Tashlin, Joseph Quillan, and Robert L. Welch ...
'' (1952)
*''
The King's Thief
''The King's Thief'' is a 1955 swashbuckling CinemaScope adventure film directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who replaced Hugo Fregonese during filming. Released on August 5, 1955, the film takes place in London at the time of Charles II and stars A ...
'' (1955)
*''
The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders
''The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders'' is a 1965 British historical comedy film directed by Terence Young and starring Kim Novak, Richard Johnson, and Angela Lansbury. It is based on the 1722 novel '' Moll Flanders'' by Daniel Defoe.
...
'' (1965)
*''
Kayamkulam Kochunni
Kayamkulam Kochunni (born 1818) was a heroic outlaw from Kayamkulam, who lived during the late 19th century. He was active in the Travancore area in the present-day Kerala, India. He is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. L ...
'' (1966)
*''
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' is a 1969 American Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch C ...
'' (1969)
*''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
'' (1973)
*''
Carry On Dick'' (1974)
*''
The Mark of Zorro'' (1974)
*''
Barry Lyndon
''Barry Lyndon'' is a 1975 period drama film written, directed, and produced by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel ''The Luck of Barry Lyndon'' by William Makepeace Thackeray. Starring Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Leonard ...
'' (1975)
*''
Kaayamkulam Kochunniyude Makan'' (1976)
*''
Joseph Andrews
''The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams'', was the first full-length novel by the English author Henry Fielding to be published and among the early novels in the English language. Appearing in 1742 ...
'' (1977)
*''
Vellayani Paramu
''Vellayani Paramu'' is a 1979 Indian Malayalam-language period drama film directed by J. Sasikumar, written by Pappanamkodu Lakshmanan, and produced by E. K. Thyagarajan. It is based on the life of Vellayani Paramu, an outlaw active in the Cen ...
'' (1979)
*''
Ronia, the Robber's Daughter
''Ronia, the Robber's Daughter'' ( Swedish: ''Ronja rövardotter'') is a children's fantasy book by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, first published in 1981.
The book has been adapted as a prize-winning 1984 film, a Danish and a German musi ...
'' (1981)
*''
Jambulingam
''Jambulingam'' is a 1982 Indian Malayalam-language period film directed by J. Sasikumar, written by Pappanamkodu Lakshmanan, and produced by E. K. Thyagarajan. It is based on the life of outlaw Jambulingam Nadar. The film stars Prem Nazir, Jaya ...
'' (1982)
*''
The Wicked Lady
''The Wicked Lady'' is a 1945 British costume drama film directed by Leslie Arliss and starring Margaret Lockwood in the title role as a nobleman's wife who becomes a highwayman for the excitement. The film had one of the top audiences for a f ...
'' (1983)
*''
The Deceivers'' (1988)
*''
The Lady and the Highwayman'' (1989)
*''
Plunkett & Macleane
''Plunkett & Macleane'' is a 1999 British historical action comedy film directed by Jake Scott, and starring Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller and Liv Tyler. Gary Oldman was executive producer.
The story was co-written by Neal Purvis and Rob ...
'' (1999)
*''
Kayamkulam Kochunni
Kayamkulam Kochunni (born 1818) was a heroic outlaw from Kayamkulam, who lived during the late 19th century. He was active in the Travancore area in the present-day Kerala, India. He is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. L ...
'' (2018)
*''
The Highwaymen'' (2019)
Video games
In ''
Fable II
''Fable II'' is a 2008 action role-playing open world video game, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360. The game is the second installment in the ''Fable'' game series, and the sequel to 2004's ''F ...
'', Highwaymen appear as an elite type of enemy which works alongside bandits and makes use of speed and agility over brute strength. It is also possible for players to dress as Highwaymen. There is an enemy type in ''
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'' called the "bandit highwayman" that acts as one of the higher-level bandit enemies. In ''
World of Warcraft
''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. Set in the ''Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of Warcraft'' takes place within the world of Azeroth ...
'' one can encounter the Defias Highwaymen, the strongest members of the Defias Brotherhood. In ''
Darkest Dungeon
''Darkest Dungeon'' is a roguelite role-playing video game developed and published by Red Hook Studios. The game was first released for Microsoft Windows and OS X in January 2016, which followed a year-long early access development period. Later ...
'' the Highwayman is a class of hero who wields a dirk and flintlock to fight. In ''
Runescape
''RuneScape'' is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Jagex, released in January 2001. ''RuneScape'' was originally a browser game built with the Java programming language; it was large ...
'', highwaymen attack lower-leveled players on a route between two cities. In ''
Bushido Blade 2
is a fighting video game published by Square, released in Japan and North America in 1998. It is the sequel to '' Bushido Blade'', which had been released the previous year. The game was re-released in 2008 for PlayStation Network.
Gameplay
'' ...
'' there is a playable character named Highwayman who is dressed in Victorian clothing and represents the hero archetype. In ''
Bloodborne
is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. ''Bloodborne'' follows the player's character, a Hunter, through the decrepit Gothic, Victorian-era–inspired cit ...
'' many articles of clothing obtained by "The Hunter" are inspired by Highwaymen attire.
See also
*
List of highwaymen
This is a chronological list of highwaymen, land pirates, mail coach robbers, road agents, stagecoach robbers, and bushrangers active, along trails, roads, and highways, in Europe, North America, South America, Australia, Asia, and Africa, from a ...
*
Brigandage
Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who usually lives in a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first recorded usa ...
*
Bushranger
Bushrangers were originally escaped convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who used the bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. By the 1820s, the term had evolved to refer to those who took up "robbery under ...
*
Dacoity
Dacoity is a term used for "banditry" in the Indian subcontinent. The spelling is the anglicised version of the Hindi word ''daaku''; "dacoit" is a colloquial Indian English word with this meaning and it appears in the ''Glossary of Colloquial ...
*
Hajduk
A hajduk ( hu, hajdúk, plural of ) is a type of irregular infantry found in Central and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries. They have reputations ranging from bandits to freedom fighters depending on time, p ...
*
Mail robbery
Mail robbery is the robbery of mail usually when it is in the possession, custody, or control, of the delivering authority, which in most countries is the postal operator and can involve the theft of money or luxury goods.
History
In the UK Stag ...
*
Marauder (disambiguation)
*
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
*
Road agent (disambiguation)
*
Social bandits
Social banditry or social crime is a form of lower class social resistance involving behavior that by law is illegal but is supported by wider "oppressed" society as being moral and acceptable. The term ''social bandit'' was invented by the Mar ...
*
Thuggees
Thuggee (, ) are actions and crimes carried out by Thugs, historically, organised gangs of professional robbers and murderers in India. The English word ''thug'' traces its roots to the Hindi ठग (), which means 'swindler' or 'deceiver'. Rela ...
References
Further reading
*
Ash, Russell (1970). ''Highwaymen'', Shire Publications, ; revised edition (1994)
* Billett, Michael (1997). ''Highwaymen and Outlaws'', Weidenfeld Military,
* Brandon, David (2004). ''Stand and Deliver! A History of Highway Robbery'', Sutton Publishing,
* Dunford, Stephen (2000). ''The Irish Highwaymen'', Merlin Publishing,
* Evans, Hilary & Mary (1997). ''Hero on a Stolen Horse: Highwayman and His Brothers-in-arms – The Bandit and the Bushranger'', Muller,
* Haining, Peter (1991). ''The English Highwayman: A Legend Unmasked'', Robert Hale,
* Harper, Charles George (1908). ''Half-hours with the Highwaymen: picturesque biographies and traditions of the "knights of the road"'', Chapman & Hall
Online edition via
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
.
*
Hobsbawm, Eric
Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm (; 9 June 1917 – 1 October 2012) was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. A life-long Marxist, his socio-political convictions influenced the character of his work. ...
(1969). ''Bandits,'' Delacorte Press; Revised edition (2000).
* Koliopoulos, John S (1987). ''Brigands with a Cause, Brigandage and Irredentism in Modern Greece 1821–1912.'' Clarendon Press.
* Liapi, Lena (2019). "Roguery in Print: Crime and Culture in Early Modern London" Boydell & Brewer.
* Maxwell, Gordon S (1994). ''Highwayman's Heath: Story in Fact and Fiction of Hounslow Heath in Middlesex '', Heritage Publications, Hounslow Leisure Services,
* Newark, Peter (1988). ''Crimson Book of Highwaymen'', Olympic Marketing Corp,
* Pringle, Patrick (1951). ''Stand and Deliver: The Story of the Highwaymen'', Museum Press, ASIN B0000CHVTK
* Seal, Graham (1996). ''The Outlaw Legend: a cultural tradition in Britain, America and Australia'', Cambridge University Press, (hbk), (pbk)
* Sharpe, James (2005). ''Dick Turpin: The Myth of the English Highwayman'', Profile Books,
* Spraggs, Gillian (2001). ''Outlaws and Highwaymen: The Cult of the Robber in England from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century'', Pimlico,
* Sugden, John and Philip (2015). ''The Thief of Hearts: Claude Duval and the Gentleman Highwayman in Fact and Fiction'', Forty Steps,
External links
The Heroic Outlaw in Irish Folklore and Popular Literature
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