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Robbery
on the roads - highway robbery - was a common crime in this
period. There were few banks, so people carried lots of their
money around with them. Britain was a rural country, with few
large towns. Roads were not made up so travel was slow and there
were few travellers. Roads were therefore quiet, with lots of
isolated country places, even quite near towns. There was no
police force.
Highway robbers rode on horseback, in order to stop and chase
their victims, or get away quickly. Riding on horseback was
supposedly the mark of a gentleman, a mark of class. Highwaymen
therefore had a reputation as classy criminals: courteous to
women, well-mannered and honourable. Does the evidence support
this ideal?
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