Louis Jeremiah Abershawe (better known as Jerry Abershawe; 1773 - 3 August 1795) was a notorious highwayman who terrorised travellers along the road between London and Portsmouth in the late eighteenth century. Year 1773 (MDCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 215th day of the year (216th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Folk image of a mounted highwayman Highwayman was a term used particularly in Britain during the 17th and 18th centuries to describe robbers who targeted people traveling by stagecoach and other modes of transport along public highways. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other places with the same name, see Portsmouth (disambiguation). ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

Born in Kingston-Upon-Thames in Surrey, Abershawe started his life of crime at the age of seventeen, leading a gang based at the Bald Faced Stag Inn. He was eventually arrested in London at a public house, The Three Brewers, in Southwark. After a trial at Croydon Assizes in July 1795, he was hanged at Kennington Common, on 3 August 1795.^[1] , Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in London. ... This article is about the English county. ... Pub redirects here. ... For other places with the same name, see Southwark (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Croydon (disambiguation). ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Kennington is an area of south London, situated within the London Borough of Lambeth. ...

His body was then taken to his old haunt of Wimbledon Common, where it was placed on a gibbet — the last hanged highwayman's body to be so displayed. , This article is about the district of London. ... Gibbet is a term applied to several different devices used in the capital punishment of criminals and/or the deterrence of potential criminals. ...

Abershawe was sometimes known as 'The Laughing Highwayman' (ref: 'Weird Croydon'):

"Although Abershaw was far removed from the romantic image of the lovable rogue, he possessed a healthy sense of humour, often incorporating his ironic wit into his robberies." An extract from the history book, Local Highwaymen, reads, "Abershaw's humour seemed to be at its best when his personal fortunes were at their worst, for instance, at the time of his trial and eventual hanging a classic example of gallows humour."'

In popular culture

• Abershawe appears in 'The Romany Rye' by George Borrow, alongside others such as "Galloping Dick" Ferguson.

Further Reading

• Discovering Highwaymen (1994), Russell Ash.

External links

• http://www.exclassics.com/newgate/ng387.htm
• http://homepage.ntlworld.com/sally.jenkinson/ashmuseum/hartshor.htm

References

1. ^ http://www.stand-and-deliver.org.uk/highwaymen/newgate_abershaw.htm