James Hind
James Hind was a 17th-century highwayman and Royalist rabble rouser during the English Civil War.
He came from the town of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. He fought in the English Civil War for the Royalist cause, some reports tell of him assisting the escape of King Charles II after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester. After the war, he took up highway robbery against the Commonwealth forces with his exploits both real and embellished printed in numerous pamphlets that made him into a Royalist folk hero of the Robin Hood mould. His partner Thomas Allen was captured when they attempted but failed to rob Oliver Cromwell. Hind also robbed John Bradshaw, President of the High Court of Justice for the trial of King Charles I. He refused to rob cavaliers and even gave money to poor royalists.
When finally caught during the Protectorate, Hind was charged with treason rather than highway robbery because of his expressed Royalist loyalty and was hanged, drawn and quartered in 1652 at Worcester. He was the subject of a biography The English Gusman by George Fidge, and 16 pamphlets detailing his exploits.
