Turpin, Dick (1706-1739), was an English robber whose exploits have appeared in English legends and literature. As a youth, he joined a band of thieves who stole farm animals and deer. Later, he worked with Tom King as a highwayman, robbing travelers along the road from London to Oxford. He accidentally killed King while shooting at a constable. Finally, Turpin was arrested in York for stealing horses, was found guilty, and was hanged on April 7, 1739. William Ainsworth’s novel Rookwood (1834) described Turpin’s famous ride from London to Yorkshire on his horse, Black Bess. The story of this ride was originally told of an earlier highwayman named “Nicks.” Richard Turpin was born in Hempstead, Essex, the son of an innkeeper.
