Lynn Man’s Body Covered In Pitch

Have you ever heard the tale of Joseph Beeton, the dandy highwayman? His story is a mix of youthful charm, crime, and tragedy that captivated the people of King’s Lynn in the late 18th century.

Joseph Beeton: The Crime

Joseph Beeton was born in King’s Lynn around 1763. After a minimal education he was apprenticed to his uncle, Thomas Birch, as a sailmaker. Unfortunately he started to mix with a crowd of smugglers. Perhaps in the hope of keeping him away from trouble, he did serve for a brief spell in the navy. However, he soon returned to his former friendships.

One of his friends, a notorious Richard Hopkins, suggested that they should rob the mail coach.

At just twenty years old, Beeton was brought before the Recorder at the Quarter Sessions at King’s Lynn on Monday, 20 January 1783 and charged. He was accused of robbing the post boy who was riding to connect with the Wisbech mail coach on 19 November 1782. He cleverly hid in thorn bushes beside the Saddlebow Road, beyond the Long Bridge that crossed the River Nar. He sprang onto the coach to steal mail bags. His daring act was thrilling but ultimately led to Beeton’s downfall as Hopkins betrayed his friend to the Postmaster. Although the mail bags had contained bundles of letters and bank drafts worth £1,363, there was virtually no useful currency that the robbers could easily use.

After being captured, Beeton managed a brief escape but was soon recaptured due to a suspicious innkeeper in Castle Rising (one source says Castle Acre). Beeton was taken back to Lynn in irons.

Joseph Beeton: Public Sympathy and Trial

What makes Beeton’s story even more compelling is the public sympathy he attracted. Apart the sympathy gained because of his youth, he claimed he had been drawn to commit the crime by Hopkins, a supposed friend.

Many locals believed his story and rallied together to fund his legal defence. They paid Henry Partridge to defend Beeton in court. Despite their efforts and his charming demeanor, Beeton was found guilty after a seven hour trial and was sentenced to death, and following the 1751 Act, his body was to be gibbeted.

Joseph Beeton: Execution and Gibbeting

On the morning of Monday, 17 February 1783, Beeton was taken from Lynn Gaol to the gallows near Southgates (not far from the spot where the robbery was committed). He was accompanied by the Revd Mr Horsfall and the Revd Mr Merrest (two clergymen).

A large crowd (one estimate was 5,000) gathered to witness his execution—a somber event marked by both sadness and spectacle. A hymn was sung by the singers from St Margaret’s Church. As he faced his fate Beeton was supported by clergymen who had prepared him spiritually, and he displayed remarkable composure.

When the moment came, he threw himself from the platform. After his execution Beeton’s body was covered in pitch and hung in a metal cage (gibbeted) near the scene as a warning to others. The site where he was captured became known as “Beeton’s Bush”.

© James Rye 2024

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Sources

• 1783 Norfolk Chronicle, http://www.foxearth.org.uk/1783NorfolkChronicle.html
• Hillen, H.J. (1907) History of the Borough of King’s Lynn, Vol.2, EP Publishing Ltd
• Storey, N. R. (2012) Norfolk Villains: Rogues, Rascals, and Reprobates, The History Press
• Tarlow, S. (2017) The Afterlife of the Gibbet. In: The Golden and Ghoulish Age of the Gibbet in Britain. Palgrave Historical Studies in the Criminal Corpse and its Afterlife. Palgrave Macmillan https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-60089-9_3
• Tarlow, S., Battell Lowman, E. (2018). Hanging in Chains. In: Harnessing the Power of the Criminal Corpse. Palgrave Historical Studies in the Criminal Corpse and its Afterlife. Palgrave Macmillan https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77908-9_6