History
Of The Highwaymen
In the 16th, 17th and
18th Centuries Highway robbery was a common crime. Many people were in danger of being
robbed if they travelled. There was a problem with highwaymen robbery, often the roads
were in a quiet, lonely countryside and there was plenty of places to hide along the
roads.
The population of Britain was much smaller and
there was less towns and built up areas, so it was easy to commit highway robbery and not
be seen or heard.
Many People carried their money and wealthy
belongings around with themselves as there was less banks and no credit cards, cheques
etc.
Highwaymen got away with robbing
traveler because there was no police to chase and capture them.
There are a lot of myths
about Highwaymen
First of all highwaymen
road horses and to ride a horse put you above low violent criminals like footpads,
Highwaymen were suppose to behave better,
1) They were supposed to
rob the Rich to help the poor.
2) They were supposed to be well mannered and
refuse to rob women.
3) They were supposed to dress well in the
style of the wealthy people they were robbing.
The Most Famous Highwayman
was Dick Turpin, he was made famous by a popular poem in 1825. Click on the link to find
out more about Dick Turpin.
Footpads
Footpads were the same as
highwaymen but instead of being on a horse, footpads were on foot. The disadvantage of
being on foot was that it was hard to keep up with a moving carriage if they try to
escape. This is why highwaymen were more successful because they were on horseback and
could keep up with a moving carriage.
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