1381… “The Life and Death of Jacke Straw” (1593) 17 May 202017 May 2020 By Stephen Basdeo The following is an excerpt from my book: The Life and Legend of a Rebel Leader: Wat Tyler (2018). It is available to buy from the publisher…
14th Century… Poetry: The Rebellion of Wat Tyler and Jack Straw (c.1612) 17 May 2020 Unlike that other medieval hero and man of the people, Robin Hood, Wat Tyler does not enjoy an extensive ballad "afterlife." This song, first published in The Garland of Delight…
18th century… From Barman to Highwayman: The Case of William Hawke (d.1774) 16 Jan 201716 Jan 2017 Not every highwayman throughout history has achieved the fame of Robin Hood (sup. fl. 12th-13th centuries), Rob Roy (1671-1734), Dick Turpin (1705-1739), or Jack Sheppard (1702-1724). The names of most…
14th Century… My Forthcoming Book: “The Mob Reformer: The Life and Legend of Wat Tyler” (2018) 21 Oct 2016 I have recently been contracted by a commercial publisher to write a popular history book entitled The Mob Reformer: The Life and Legend of Wat Tyler which is due for…
17th century… Capt. Charles Johnson’s “General History of the Pyrates” (1724) 24 Sep 2016 In 1724 a book appeared entitled A General and True History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates (1724) which was written by a “Captain” Charles Johnson.…
14th Century… Historic Yorkshire Criminals: William Knipe’s “Criminal Chronology” (1867) 3 Jul 20163 Jul 2016 The eighteenth century was the period in which criminal biography flourished, when men such as Charles Johnson were publishing books such as Lives of the Highwaymen (1734) alongside serialised publications…