 In 1684, the Parish Constable of Sandal Magna, together with John Ramsden, accompanied William Hardcastle J.P., to apprehend the notorious highwayman William Nevison (aka John Nevinson).
Nevison, famous as the "Highwayman who, dying of the Plague as was thought, reappeared as his own Ghost" (1), was apparently asleep in the Magpie Inn (later to become the original Three Houses) in the chair pictured on the left. The villain had doubtless dozed off after consuming a pint or two of ale.
Later, the Hardcastle family gave the chair to St. Helen's Church (2). Whether Nevison spent a lot of time in the Magpie, or indeed in the Sandal area, is lost in the mists of time. Much surrounding Nevison remains as a 17th century mystery.
An entry in the Wakefield Sessions of 09/10/1684 records an "Order for Constable of Sandal to pay John Ramsden 10s 6d for the Constable of Sandal & William Hardcastle gentleman, three days conveying one Nevison, a highwayman, to the Castle of York, and 2s 6d for obtaining the order."(2)
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Information
Sources include:
- 1. The Newgate Calendar (Nevison's
story) and the Preface more on the identity of the horseman who made the epic ride.
- 2. Sandal
Magna, A Yorkshire Parish and its People, written and published by Mary
Ingham and Brenda Andrassy, ISBN 0 9506442 0 X, 1978, reprinted 1979
(see Links Page).
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