1. Highwayman Halted 17th January 1763
Robbers’ antics thwarted by local soldiers By
Robert Redding
A tragic occurrence happened last Friday in the village of Bobswood, it shocked everyone alike. It has been reported that the highwayman, who has been terrorising the local area, fell in love with the landlord’s daughter, Bess. The terrible outcome of this was they both stood on the wrong end off a musket. Although, strangely, they have been seen since with a ghostly aura around them.
Out off the shadows
A witness, who was watching from an upstairs window stated she saw the Highwayman emerge from the bushes; astride his great black horse – rapier hanging from his hard hide belt. He clattered across the cobbles and tapped with his whip on the window. And then it was said Bess emerged from the shadows of the inn to greet him.
Eyewitness Tim ,who has asked for his last name to remain unknown, reported that he heard the Highwayman boasting of his thefts to the landlord's daughter. After promising to return the next day, Tim observed him ride away to the west seeking “yellow-gold” , as he named it.
Last Saturday, none of the inn- goers saw Bess all day all day. it guessed that she was awaiting the Highwayman in her room . However, Tim informed King George's men – more informally known as ‘red-coats’ – that the highwayman ( whose identity remains a mystery) was returning. Later that evening, it was said the ‘red-coats’ drank skins of ale then disappeared upstairs: presumably to tie Bess.
In the nearby village of Goostrey, where it was thought the Highwayman lived; most of the villagers were able to
recall a horse’s hooves on the road outside. It can only be predicted that he was visiting his love, just as he promised. In the tavern, when the highwayman was heard outside, It was said a musket shattered the night. It was assumed that Bess took her life to warn her love; the Highwayman. One of the evening revellers said, “I hear a loud bang that made us all jump.” The next day, The Highwayman heard of this terrible event. He, astride his horse, was seen shot down at 11:45 on Sunday morning.
Although it is said on a winter’s night when the wind is in the trees and the moon a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, then the Highwayman will return, coming up to the old inn door and tapping on the shutters with his long black whip.
Bess and The Highwayman: a tragic romance
The purple moors: where The Highwayman is said to roam.