John Poulter

John Poulter (died 25 February 1754) was a highwayman who conducted numerous robberies across England in a five-year period. This crime spree ended in Exeter in 1753 when he was arrested for the robbery of man on the outskirts of Bath, for which he was hanged the following year.[1]

He wrote a detailed account of his crimes, naming numerous accomplices who were consequently arrested. The book also provided advice to the public on the methods of thieves. It was hugely popular, with seventeen editions being printed.[1]

Early life

Poulter grew up in Newmarket, and attended day school from the ages of seven to thirteen. He was then employed working in service as an assistant groom for several households over the next ten years, and was considered honest and hard-working. He then joined a trading ship out of Bristol, making several voyages to the West Indies and North America. When the ship was decommissioned following the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748 he returned to England.[2]

Further reading
  • John Poulter, alias Baxter; Who was apprehended for robbing Dr Hancock, of Salisbury, on Clarken-Down, near Bath; and thereupon discovered a most numerous Gang of Villains many of which have already been taken. Being A full Account of all the Robberies he has committed, and the surprising tricks and frauds he has practised for the Space of five Years in different Parts of England. Written wholly by Himself. R Goadby in Sherborne. 1753.

References
  1. Barbara White, "'Stand and Deliver': Bath and the Eighteenth-Century Highwayman" (PDF), Bath History, 13 (2), pp. 29–49
  2. A Student of the Inner Temple (1804). The Criminal Recorder: Or, Biographical Sketches of Notorious Public Characters. 2. James Cundee, Ivy-Lane.
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