Highway robbery

• Highway robbery involved attacking and robbing travellers on highways. It was a problem as far back as the Middle Ages, but it became more common in the 18th century for a number of reasons.
• As trade increased there was more needed to move money around, but cheques did not exist and there were very few banks; travellers often carried large amounts of cash.
• The countryside was much less populated than today, so there were many isolated country roads.
• Turnpike trusts improved the road surfaces, and regular stagecoach services were introduced. This meant there were many more people on the roads.
• Highway robbers who operated on foot were known as footpads and those who travelled on horseback were called highwaymen.
• ‘Black Harry’ was a famous highwayman who robbed pack-mule trains in Derbyshire. He was eventually caught and executed at Wardlow Mires.
• Highway robber was seen as a serious crime because it was committed on the king’s highway, and because it could involve theft of mail bags it disrupted the postal service.
• In 1772 the death penalty was introduced for anyone found armed and disguised on a high road.
• The crime decreased when mounted patrols started to be used on major roads in the 19th century, and also as the introduction of the banking system meant there was less need for people to carry large sums of cash.
• The last reported case was in 1831.