Abershaw
“What Pitt doesn’t take in taxes, Abershaw will take with a pistol”
On the edge of Wimbledon Common, in the middle of a roundabout, is a forgotten iron sign showing the silhouette of a man with a pistol.
It was once the most controversial spot in London. Haunted by a highwayman who could vanish into mist, it became the site for the greatest theft of the age, the last public gibbetting of a highwayman, a duel, an 100,000 strong party, a riot and the state sanctioned theft of a body.
Charlotte tells the story of Jerry Abershaw the most notorious highwayman you’ve never heard of. Demon friend of jackdaws, working class cult hero or the most strategic criminal mastermind of the 18th century.
A timeless tale of fame, hero worship and the desire to become immortal.
“These stories stay with you and make you see the everyday world differently”
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50 mins.