James Hind
Gentleman highwayman
By Pip
Wilson
I owe a debt to God, and a debt I must pay; blessed by his name that he hath kept me from shedding of bloud unjustly, which is now a comfort to me: Neither did I ever wrong any poor man of the worth of a penny: but I must confess, I have (when I have been necessitated thereto) made bold with a rich Bompkin, or a lying Lawyer, whose full-fed fees from the rich Farmer, doth too too much impoverish the poor cottage-keeper.
Capt. James Hind; speaking in Newgate Prison, November 11, 1651
On September 24, 1652, English highwayman,
Captain
James Hind, known by every man and woman in England for his daring
crimes, was executed at Newgate Prison. Hind grew up in Chipping Norton,
Oxfordshire, the son of a saddler, served an apprenticeship and worked as a
butcher for two years until running away from his disagreeable master.
He went up to London, where he met and teamed up with Thomas Allen, a
prominent highwayman. On one occasion they bailed up none other than Oliver
Cromwell and his seven bodyguards, but were overpowered by the latter. Tom
Allen died on the gallows for this crime, but James Hind somehow managed to
make his escape.
A battle of the Bible
Another time on the road, Captain Hind met Hugh Peters, who was one of the
Puritan republicans responsible for the death of King Charles I, and
commanded him to hand over his purse. Peters, a religious man, regaled Hind
with verses from the Bible. “It is written in the Law”’ he chastised
the highwayman, “that thou shalt not steal. And furthermore, Solomon, who
was surely a very wise man, speaketh in this manner: ‘Rob not the poor,
because he is poor’.”
Hind decided to debate his victim in kind, and challenge Peters for his
crime of regicide. “Verily,” said Hind, “if thou hadst regarded the
divine precepts as thou oughtest to have done, thou wouldst not have wrested
them to such an abominable and wicked sense as thou didst the words of the
prophet, when he saith, ‘Bind their kings with chains, and their nobles
with fetters of iron’. Didst thou not, thou detestable hypocrite,
endeavour from these words to aggravate the misfortunes of thy Royal master,
whom thy accursed republican party unjustly murdered before the door of his
own palace?”
Here Hugh Peters began to make excuses for the king’s assassination, and
brought forward other parts of Scripture in his defence, and also to
preserve his money. “Pray, sir,” replied Hind, “make no reflections on
my profession; for Solomon plainly says, ‘Do not despise a thief’; but
it is to little purpose for us to dispute. The substance of what I have to
say is this: deliver thy money presently, or else I shall send thee out of
the world to thy master in an instant.”
These words of the captain so frightened the old Presbyterian that he gave
him thirty broad-pieces of gold, and then the highwayman and regicide
parted. However, Hind was not thoroughly satisfied with letting such a
notorious enemy to the Crown get off so lightly. He rode after Peters at
full speed, caught up with him and cheekily said to him: “Sir, now I think
of it, I am convinced that this misfortune has happened to you because you
did not obey the words of the Scripture, which say expressly, ‘Provide
neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses for your journey’;
whereas it is evident that you had provided a pretty deal of gold. However,
as it is now in my power to make you fulfil another command, I would by no
means slip the opportunity. Therefore pray give me your cloak.”
Understandably, Peters was dumbfounded. Hind explained himself, quoting from
the New Testament: “You know, sir, our Saviour has commanded, that if any
man take away thy cloak, thou must not refuse thy coat also; therefore I
cannot suppose you will act in direct contradiction to such an express
direction, especially now you can't pretend you have forgot it, because I
have reminded you of your duty.” The old Puritan hesitated, then delivered
his coat, which Hind was delighted to receive, and no doubt the highwayman
went on his way laughing heartily.
A 17th-century Robin Hood?
As might be expected, perhaps, an aura of the Robin Hood type grew up around
the highwayman, and many stories were told of his kindness, sympathy and
generosity to the poor. Once, he came upon a poor man riding on an ass. He
rode up to meet him, and asked him very courteously where he was going. The
old man replied, “To the market at Wantage, to buy me a cow, that I may
have some milk for my children.” “How many children,” asked Hind,
“may you have?” The old man answered ten. “And how much do you think
to give for a cow?” Hind asked the peasant. “I have but forty shillings,
master, and that I have been saving together these two years,” came the
answer.
Hind felt compassion for the man, but he needed money, so what could he do?
He quickly thought of an plan that would serve both him and the old man too.
“Father,” he said, “the money you have got about you I must have at
this time; but I will not wrong your children of their milk. My name is
Hind, and if you will give me your forty shillings quietly, and meet me
again this day sevennight at this place, I promise to make the sum double.
Only be cautious that you never mention a word of the matter to anybody
between this and that.” Sure enough, a fortnight later the old man came,
and Hind was as good as his word, suggesting that he buy two cows, instead
of one, and adding twenty shillings to the sum promised, so that the peasant
could purchase the best cow in the market.
On Friday, December
12, 1651, Captain James Hind was brought to the bar of
the sessions house in the Old Bailey Courts, London, and indicted for
several crimes; but nothing being proved against him that could reach his
life, he was con veyed in a coach from Newgate to Reading in Berkshire,
where on March 1, 1651, he was arraigned before Judge Warberton for
killing one George Sympson at Knole, a small village in that county. The
evidence here was undeniable, and he was found guilty of wilful murder.
In early September, 1652, he was condemned for high treason, and on the 24th
he was drawn, hanged and quartered, aged only 34. At the place of execution
he declared that most of the robberies that he had ever committed were upon
the republican party, of whose principles he professed he always had an
utter abhorrence.
After he was executed his head was set upon the Bridge Gate, over the River
Severn, whence it was privately taken down and buried within the week. His
quarters were put upon the other gates of the city, where they remained till
they were destroyed by wind and weather.
The Declaration of Capt. James Hind
Indeared Countrey-men,
Whereas there hath been sundry and various Relations of the proceedings of Capt. James Hind, fraught with impertinent stories, and new-invented fictions; I am (in order thereunto) desired by the said Mr. Hind, to publish this ensuing Declaration, for sattisfaction, & true information of the People ...
The Declaration of Captain James Hind ...
Whereas the Heavens are doomes of mens deeds, and God holds a ballance in his hand, to reward with favour, all those that walk uprightly; and to revenge with justice, all those that steers their wayes to the contrary; even so may the life of man be well compared to the Ocean Seas, that for every calm hath a thousand storms; for a little pleasure, much pain; and for high desire, much discontent:1 For as folly perswaded me to lead a sinfull life, so at length Justice may bring me to a sorrowful end; (but God requires mercy in the midst thereof) Yet notwithstanding, I am confident, the wrongs which I have committed doth not cry aloud for vengeance; but rather the Mercy that I shewed in all my Designs and Actions, may plead an acquitment of all punishment: However, Gods Will be done; for while I live my heart shall not faint me: I sorrow not to die; neither shall I grieve at the manner of my death, though it be never so untimely. Yet could I have but that happiness, as to fight for my life, and to encounter an Enemy in the field, it would be an infinite comfort, and joy of spirit to me. But blessed be the Name of the Lord, that he hath given me an humble spirit in these my days of Tribulation, and a heart of repentance to bewail my former course of life: For every wrong I have done (called now to remembrance) wrings drops of bloud from my heart; although I never shed one: Neither did I ever take the worth of a peny from a poor man; but at what time soever I met with any such a person, it was my constant custom, to ask, Who he was for? if he reply’d, For the King, I gave him 20 shillings: but if he answer’d, For the Parliament, I left him, as I found him. As for any other Exploits since 1649. I am guiltless of: For in the same year, May 2. I departed England (as appears by my Confession to the Council at White-Hal on the 10 instant, 1651.) and went to the Hague; But after I had been there three dayes I departed for Ireland ...
This is all that was declared and confessed by him, who remains captivated in close Prison in the Gaol of New-gate.
Novem. 15. 1651. JAMES HIND
Source: Outlaws and
Highwaymen
This passage, 'The Declaration of Capt. James Hind',
was previously published on this site without attribution to Dr Gillian
Spraggs who went to the trouble of transcribing and typing out from the original pamphlets in the British Library,
and electronically publishing the text online. Dr Spraggs has kindly allowed
its reproduction here if correctly attributed, and I offer my apology and
gratitude.
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