A highwayman on Bagshot Heath, 2 February 1775

Richard Wyatt was a justice of the peace who kept a notebook to record his activities in the front line of the fight against crime. He recorded the witness statement of Daniel Harvey of Staines, a post chaise driver, about the exploits of a highwayman on Bagshot Heath. The genteel villain stopped the carriage with the words "Pray ladies, don't be frightened. I am in distress and money I must have".

Other types of offences and subject matter recorded include labour disputes, burglary, housebreaking, stealing horses and cattle, poaching and other infringements of the Game Laws, using false weights and measures, conducting an illegal lottery, pub brawls, assault and rape.

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