“[Ainsworth’s stories] catapulted Dick Turpin to everlasting fame, even though his real life story ended in an ignominious death…” Watch the full documentary 👉 https://access.historyhit.com/what-s-new/videos/stand-and-deliver-the-truth-about-highwaymen Join Mike Loades as he takes an exciting canter into the real story of the highwayman! | History Hit

The romantic Dick Turpin is almost entirely a fiction. The real Richard Turpin, born 1705, began as a deer poacher before escalating to a gang that committed brutal home invasions. Historical records describe his gang torturing an elderly woman by holding her over a fire to force her to reveal hidden savings. His legendary overnight ride from London to York on Black Bess was a story stolen from another highwayman, William 'Swift Nick' Nevison, and grafted onto Turpin by author William Harrison A