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HighwaymenSuspects

Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years ago

Parson Darby: The Prime Suspects

Parson Darby has been accused of highway robbery and even murder. The name Parson Darby may have been the alias of another highwayman working in disguise, or even a nickname given by victims to an unknown and uncaught highwayman. Since there is no record of any real personnamed Reverend Darby we must consider the most likely suspects over a period of more than two centuries:

 

REV RICHARD LEWEN, PERPETUAL CURATE OF YATELEY 1821-1874

A prime suspect since he was curate of Yateley in 1841. He became the parish priest in 1821 and survived until 1874. He died, aged 84, on 13 November 1874, and is buried in plot A52 in St Peter's churchyard. Some accounts state that he was not an ideal curate, but he was not hung and survived into old age.

VERDICT: release this man immediately

 

REV JOHN TOOVEY-HAWLEY, RECTOR OF EVERSLEY

Another prime suspect since he was Rector of Eversley in 1841. Charles Kingsley's first day of public ministration in Eversley as a young curate was Sunday July 7th, 1842. His Rector, John Toovey-Hawley, could be the sort of priest we might be looking for. Susan Chitty's account of the circumstances for Charles Kingsley's eventual appointment as Rector in 1844 says

the church services at Eversley had been shockingly neglected by John Toovey-Hawley, who made the slightest indisposition on a Sunday an excuse for sending the parish clerk to the church door to announce that there would be no service. His interest in his parishioners had been limited to the female section and it was not with their souls that he was concerned. It was the discovery of an indiscretion of a most revolting nature concerning one of these ladies that lead him to flee the country and so leave the living vacant.

 

Charles Kingsley was promoted. The details of Toovey-Hawley's indiscretions were surpressed but perhaps memories linger on, embedded in the Parson Darby myth.

VERDICT: Probably contributed to the womanising clergyman and 1841

elements of the Parson Darby myth. Keep his file open.

 

REV JOHN THOMAS, PERPETUAL CURATE OF YATELEY from 1707-1730

In 1730 when the Rev William Nunn took over as Curate, he had to write into the parish register book:

NB The Rev Mr Thomas late Minister of Yateley in the County of Southton having almost wholly neglected to register Christenings and Marriages from the Year 1710 to the year 1730 Therefore to supply that Deficiency the Minister and Church Wardens have collected what Intelligence they could from the Memoirs of Families in the Parish (publick Notice being given to that Defect in the Church) in order to have the same recorded in the Parish Register. But most Families in the Parish having only recorded the Day of their Children's Birth, the Day of their being baptised is infer'd only by Conjecture.

 

The Rev Thomas was replaced in 1727, according to Stilwell, by the Curate of Sandhurst, where Thomas had already been replaced. Apparently the Diocese of Salisbury had taken action over his slackness two years before the Diocese of Winchester. It appears from Stilwell's account that, by the time the Rev Nunn inserted his notice in the

parish registers, John Thomas was already dead. His last years remain an intriguing mystery.

VERDICT: We do not know what became of the Rev Thomas or why he so neglected

his duties. Until we get more information we must keep the file open.

 

CLAUDE DUVAL 1643-1670

The archetypal womanising highwayman. Born in France, the son of a miller, Claude Duval came to England at the Restoration in the service of the Duke of Richmond. As a highwayman he was notorious for his daring and his gallantry to the ladies. Duval is known to have operated in this area, and there are many local legends connecting him with local houses, including one which claims he did his drinking at the Yew Tree Inn at Darby Green.

VERDICT: Hung at Tyburn 10 years after arriving in England, his legendry effect on the hearts of the opposite sex fits with the womanising highwayman elements of the Parson Darby myth. His possible connection with Darby Green causes us to keep his file open.

 

WILLIAM DAVIS the Golden Farmer 1627-1690

The Golden Farmer was hung in London, but gibbetted at Bagshot. By the time he was eventually caught he had been a successful highwayman for 40 years. He had become a wealthy farmer in Bagshot and had a business in London. Davis was reputed to have been a master of disguise; exemplified by one probably fictitious story that he once stole back the rent for his farm from his landlord, whilst the landlord was returning home from having just collected it from Davis. The JOLLY FARMER (unfortunately renamed the MONGOLIAN BARBEQUE but now business premises),

at the fork of the Exeter and Portsmouth roads, was named after him. Since he operated in this area for such a long time, without being caught, we have no idea, despite the fables, as to his disguises, or hisfavourite haunts.

VERDICT: William Davis must remain our prime suspect for the origin of the legend. The name Parson Darby could have been one of his aliases, or a nickname applied to him in one of his disguises by his victims over 40 years. But we shall probably never know.

 

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