Dick Turpin in Literature Trivia Quiz

Answer: Beetles

It was unusual to see black people on 18th century England, but some nobles liked to have black servants to show their status. Maybe Beetles was one of them before joining the gang.

In spite of his uniqueness, Beetles is a very valuable member of the gang, as is seen in the numerous, although anonymous, stories told about them.

Answer: The Rookwood

Although as a secondary character, Turpin's first incursion into fictional literature was in "Rookwood", a Gothic novel by William Harrison Ainsworth. Published in 1839, "Rookwood" is actually a novel about revenge and love in which Dick Turpin helps the main characters to fulfill their wishes and destiny.

In this book appears also for first time the famous "Ride to York", in which Dick Turpin rode from London to York within one single day.

Answer: seven

In fiction, Dick Turpin's gang has seven members: Dick Turpin, Peters, Beetles, Pat, Tom King, The Knight of Malta and Flick. In reality, Dick Turpin worked alone almost all the time.

This cast of characters appears in every single story about Dick Turpin written after "Rookwood", but not in the British TV show, in which Turpin's only companion is Swiftnick.

Answer: Ireland

Pat O'Flynn is the only Irish member of this gang. Sometimes, this fact put him at odds with the other members, all of them English and Anglicans, except for Beetles; and even he feels more like an Anglican than a Catholic.

Other names given to Pat in Spain are Pat Murray and Pat Ofellin. As every book about the gang is either anonymous or attributed to Ainsworth, it is almost impossible to know which one is the real last name of the Irish member of the gang.

Answer: A black hat and a red coat

The typical image of Dick Turpin is that of a man in black hat and red coat riding a black mare. This conspicuous image doesn't represent the real figure of this highwayman, because, among other things, this attire would be very expensive and a man as Dick Turpin could never afford it.

And, of course, the 70s TV show doesn't show this attire; but all the books, "Rookwood" included, show these clothes as the ones used by the highwayman.

Answer: Tom King and The Knight of Malta

Tom King was a contemporary of Dick Turpin and a friend of his. The Knight of Malta was a highwayman of the 17th century who Ainsworth borrowed as a character of his novel.

Answer: For his big red sideburns

Peters is the red-headed man with big sideburns. He and Beetles are the two most conspicuous men in the gang, and, frequently, their special characteristics put them and the rest of the gang in danger, as we can see in all the written stories about the gang.

Answer: In the Epping Forest

As with the historical Turpin, the main base is in the Epping Forest. The main difference between reality and fiction is that, in the real world, the base was in a cave, and in fiction, the highwaymen reside on a big hidden house known as The Red House, as we can see in the collection of short stories known as "Dick Turpin Library", published in UK between 1930 and 1960.

Answer: Robin Hood

Dick Turpin is often described as "an 18th century Robin Hood", because (in the romanticised version presented in the storeis of each) he's always fighting against injustice with the help of his gang.

Answer: A sword

He is known for using pistol and sword, but he always prefer to use his sword because he thinks is more honorable, as his enemy has a chance to defeat him and defend himself. This characteristic was first noted in "Rookwood", and accompanied the character since then.