The hanging of a highwayman
What do you think made Dick famous?
Turpin, King and Potter's last robbery was when they successfully stole three horses near Waltham forest belonging to Joseph Major who later tracked them down to the Red Lion in Whitechapel after reporting the theft to Richard Bayes. Upon sight Major recognized the horses as his own but instead of barging in to take them back he decided to wait hoping the thieves would return at some point. He knew this would give Bayes the chance to catch up and provide a chance for them to be arrested. Major was right in his assumptions someone did in fact return to collect the horses later that night John King Tom's brother turned up to gather p the horses but was quickly apprehended by Bayes John pleaded his case giving up his brothers location.
Tom was in the exact place John had said and a fight broke out between King, Major, Bayes and a local constable when they tried to detain him resulting in Tom being shot and dying on May 19th.
Potter was also caught up in a scuffle not long after unlike King he did face trial but was released due to lack of evidence.
Dick had managed to escape and left his friends to meet up with Tom's wife Elizabeth who passed off one of Tom's horses so he could reach the safety of Epping forest. Unfortunately on the way Dick was seen by Thomas Morris one of the forest keepers on duty Dick noticed shooting him dead before he could report his sighting to the authorities but this act didn't go unnoticed and reports of Dicks actions spiraled eventually leading to a price of £200 being issued as a reward for his capture.
Dick fled the area leaving Epping forest behind he boarded a ferry in Brough under the alias John Palmer and travelled over the river Humber posing as a horse trader to anyone who asked. He did manage to keep a low profile for a while travelling back to his family whenever he could. After one particular visit back to see his father Dick seized an opportunity to steal three horses on his journey back to Brough likely selling them on.
Dick then moved to Long Sutton, Lincolnshire for a short time where he made a return to his roots as a butcher but it wasn't long before he was back engaging in criminal activities When he shot and killed a mans prize game cock on October 2nd 1738. He was fined for the incident but refused to pay which promptly lead to his arrest where he was taken to the house of correction in Beverly.
These actions got the attention of Mr. Robert Appleton clerk of the peace in East Riding who began digging further into how Dick who was still using his alias John Palmer at the time was funding his lavish lifestyle. When Robert asked Dick about it he told Robert that he had owned and ran a very successful butchers shop in Long Sutton. This information didn't quell Robert's suspicions though so he contacted Mr. Delamere who was the active Justice of the peace in Long Sutton to which Delamere confirmed that a John Palmer did in fact reside in Long Sutton working as a butcher but had also been accused of both sheep and horse theft.
The report from Delamere prompted Robert to move Dick to York castle as his case had now grew in severity. Whilst at York castle Dick wrote a letter to his brother-in-law but he refused the postal costs stating that he didn't know of any persons residing in York. The letter was then forwarded on to Saffron Walden and into the hands of a Mr. James Smith who had personally taught Dick to write in his youth and immediately recognized the handwriting aa Dick Turpin's and not John Palmer as the letter stated James notified the the authorities on February 23rd 1739 to the true identity of John palmer and collected the £200 reward.
Dick remained imprisoned in York castle until March 22nd when he was taken to face trial charged with the theft of Thomas Creasy's horses their was no chance given for Dick to build a case of defense or defend himself at the time which lead to the trial being one sided resulting in Dick being sentenced to death by hanging.
The day before his execution Dick purchased a frock coat and some shoes along with that he hired 5 mourners and on April 7th Dick and another horse thief named John Stead were transported though the streets of York in an open carriage to Knavesmire where the cities gallows stood. The set up of the gallows meant that the shortened drop below prolonged the event and death was not quick taking up to five minutes to complete.
Once they arrived Knavesmire Dick climbed the ladder of the gallows speaking a few words into the ear of his executioner who happened to be a fellow highwaymen Thomas Hadfield before throwing himself off the cart. Dick's body was left hanging until later that afternoon before being transported to a tavern in Castlegate.
A few days later on April 10th 1739 Dick's body was finally berried in the graveyard of St George's church in Fishergate, York where a gravestone still remains today.
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