John Nevison
Encyclopedia
John Nevison also known as William Nevison, was one of Britain's most notorious highwaymen
, a gentleman-rogue supposedly nicknamed Swift Nick by King Charles II
after a renowned 200 miles (321.9 km) dash from Kent
to York
to establish an alibi
for a robbery he had committed earlier that day. The story inspired William Harrison Ainsworth
to include a modified version in his novel Rookwood
, in which he attributed the feat to Dick Turpin
. There are suggestions that the feat was actually undertaken by one Samuel Nicks.
Nevison was born in Wortley
near Barnsley
in present-day South Yorkshire
and initially worked as an exciseman around Barnsley
before turning to crime, operating from the Talbot Inn at Newark. He had a reputation for not using violence against his victims, most of whom he and his gang attacked along a stretch of the Great North Road between Huntingdon
and York.
The famous ride from Kent to York took place early one summer's morning in 1676, after Nevison had robbed a sailor at Gad's Hill, near Rochester, Kent who recognised him. Nevison escaped, using a ferry to cross the Thames at Tilbury
, and then galloping via Chelmsford
, Cambridge
and Huntingdon to York (some 200 miles (300 km) from the scene of the crime), where he arrived at sunset. There he ensured he met the city's Lord Mayor
, entering into a wager on a bowls
match. When he was subsequently arrested and tried for the Gad's Hill robbery, he produced the Lord Mayor to support his alibi. The court believed his claim and he was found not guilty of that particular robbery.
Nevison was, however, found guilty of theft and transported to Tangier
later that same year. He returned to England and life as a highwayman in 1681. He was eventually arrested at the Three Houses Inn in Sandal Magna
near Wakefield
and tried for the murder of Darcy Fletcher, a constable who had tried to arrest him near Howley Hall in Batley
. He was hanged at York Castle
in May 1684 and buried in an unmarked grave in St Mary's church, Castlegate.
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
, a gentleman-rogue supposedly nicknamed Swift Nick by King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
after a renowned 200 miles (321.9 km) dash from Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
to York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
to establish an alibi
Alibi
Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C...
for a robbery he had committed earlier that day. The story inspired William Harrison Ainsworth
William Harrison Ainsworth
William Harrison Ainsworth was an English historical novelist born in Manchester. He trained as a lawyer, but the legal profession held no attraction for him. While completing his legal studies in London he met the publisher John Ebers, at that time manager of the King's Theatre, Haymarket...
to include a modified version in his novel Rookwood
Rookwood (novel)
Rookwood is a novel by William Harrison Ainsworth published in 1834. It is a historical and gothic romance that describes a dispute over the legitimate claim for the inheritance of Rookwood Place and the Rookwood family name.-Background:...
, in which he attributed the feat to Dick Turpin
Dick Turpin
Richard "Dick" Turpin was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's profession as a butcher early in life, but by the early 1730s he had joined a gang of deer thieves, and later became a poacher,...
. There are suggestions that the feat was actually undertaken by one Samuel Nicks.
Nevison was born in Wortley
Wortley, South Yorkshire
Wortley is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 579.Wortley grew up as a settlement where the Sheffield to Halifax road crossed the Cheshire to Rotherham route...
near Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
in present-day South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
and initially worked as an exciseman around Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
before turning to crime, operating from the Talbot Inn at Newark. He had a reputation for not using violence against his victims, most of whom he and his gang attacked along a stretch of the Great North Road between Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
and York.
The famous ride from Kent to York took place early one summer's morning in 1676, after Nevison had robbed a sailor at Gad's Hill, near Rochester, Kent who recognised him. Nevison escaped, using a ferry to cross the Thames at Tilbury
Tilbury
Tilbury is a town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. As a settlement it is of relatively recent existence, although it has important historical connections, being the location of a 16th century fort and an ancient cross-river ferry...
, and then galloping via Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and Huntingdon to York (some 200 miles (300 km) from the scene of the crime), where he arrived at sunset. There he ensured he met the city's Lord Mayor
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
, entering into a wager on a bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
match. When he was subsequently arrested and tried for the Gad's Hill robbery, he produced the Lord Mayor to support his alibi. The court believed his claim and he was found not guilty of that particular robbery.
Nevison was, however, found guilty of theft and transported to Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
later that same year. He returned to England and life as a highwayman in 1681. He was eventually arrested at the Three Houses Inn in Sandal Magna
Sandal, Wakefield
-Governance:Sandal was anciently a parish town in the Agbrigg Division of the wapentake of Agbrigg and Morley in the liberty of Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire. Following the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, Sandal Magna became one of the 17 constituent parishes of the Wakefield Poor Law Union...
near Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
and tried for the murder of Darcy Fletcher, a constable who had tried to arrest him near Howley Hall in Batley
Batley
Batley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies southeast of Bradford, southwest of Leeds and north of Dewsbury, near the M62 motorway. It has a population of 49,448 . Other nearby towns include Morley to the northeast, Ossett to the southeast...
. He was hanged at York Castle
York Castle
York Castle in the city of York, England, is a fortified complex comprising, over the last nine centuries, a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruinous keep of the medieval Norman castle is sometimes referred to as Clifford's...
in May 1684 and buried in an unmarked grave in St Mary's church, Castlegate.
External links
- John "Swift Nick" Nevison - The Glamorous Highwayman
- William Nevison full text of item from The Newgate CalendarThe Newgate CalendarThe Newgate Calendar, subtitled The Malefactors' Bloody Register, was a popular work of improving literature in the 18th and 19th centuries....
, from Univ of Texas Law Library - Swift Nick Nevison the Highwayman - A Yorkshire Legend at BBC-h2g2