Welcome to Criminalia, a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership with iHeartRadio.
The legendary representations of highwaymen are often told through word of mouth or a lore ballads, and sometimes novels and plays, and there's probably been a movie or two or three based on the more famous robbers. Some highwaymen had originally been soldiers who had fallen on hard times. Some were straight up criminals, and some, like Claude Duval, were highwaymen who were polite, chivalrous, and sometimes portrayed as a version of robin Hood, although none of them gave their loot
to those less fortunate. Opinions differ among biographers and historians when it comes to Claude's life, So let's talk about how his acts of highway robbery created what became known as the gentleman robber. Welcome to Criminalia. I'm Maria Tremarky.
And I'm Holly Frye. Claude was born in sixteen forty three in Normandy. His father was a miller that's a person who operates a mill to grind grain, and his mother was a tailor. There are some versions of his story that suggests that they had at one point been a noble family and then were stripped of title and land. But that's not something that we can corroborate. He did grow up in dont, France, where it was said that quote common honesty was a most uncommon ingredient in the
moral economy of the place. So maybe he didn't stand a chance at living a legit life if that statement painted a correct narrative. He was educated, but only to the level his parents thought he needed. They believed that he would become a footman, which was one of the higher ranking domestic worker roles in an upper class household.
At age thirteen, Claude took a job as a stable boy, where he was given the opportunity to travel to Paris with some of the English royalists who'd followed Charles the Second to France. He went, and his work there as a footman paid off. By age fourteen. He was working for the English exiles who were waiting for the restoration of the monarchy. The restoration was, at its very simple basics, the re establishment of Charles the Second as King of England.
If you listened to the first episode of the season about the Wicked Lady, this follows right on the heels of Charles the First being executed and the parliamentarians taking over. Mostly Claude spent his time running errands, but he also had a job at Sannasprie, described as the cross between an ale house and a brothel. It was here that his storians believe he mostly just flirted with women, but also practiced his charm and charisma.
When Claude moved to England in sixteen sixty with the formerly exiled royalists and nobility, this coincided with when Charles the Second was restored to the throne, he went to work as a footman for a quote person of quality. That person of quality is thought to have been Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond. It's at this time in his life where he learned the manners of a gentleman, which he later used to enhance his gentleman robber reputation. But the
footman gig did not last very long for Claude. Rumors suggest that he spent too much money on drinking, gambling and women, and with his finances dwindling, and probably that behavior wasn't looked upon with delight by his employer, he decided to take a turn as a highwayman and began dabbling in robbery as a side gig, and in no time his new lifestyle brought fame and fortune.
Claude had arrived in England from France at age seventeen, which was right in the middle of what the Newgate Calendar called quote universal joy upon the return of the royal family, which made the whole nation almost mad. Everyone ran into extravagances, and Duval, whose inclinations were as vicious as any man's, soon became an extraordinary proficient in gaming, purring, drunkenness and all manner of debauchery. Of note that use of vicious here refers to his proclivity toward his vices,
not violence. But when he started to run out of funds, he'd rob a few English locals. He got himself his gentlemanly reputation because he didn't participate in the rough behavior and murderers undertakings of many of his fellow highwaymen. He wanted it known that he was appalled by those who used violence, and he himself would never engage in such
a thing. Claude became known for his politeness and his chivalry, as well as the quote romantic darling of the ladies, violent or not, though a highway robber, gentleman, robber or thug would be hanged just the same.
Claude was a celebrated French born robber of Restoration, England, a period that ran from sixteen sixty to sixteen eighty eight, and his career choice popularized him as a dashing highwayman, a word that first appeared in an Anglo Saxon document from ten seventeen. The golden age of highway robbery is considered to have been between seventeen hundred to eighteen thirty, but it's Claude who is one of the earliest name brigands recorded by the London Gazette of sixteen sixty six.
His reputation and his press coverage was built on his fashionable appearance and gallant treatment toward those he robbed. He never did resort to physical violence, at least as far as we can tell. He mostly operated on the roads
to London. A stage coach, for instance, could only average about seven miles per hour, give or take, and that made it really easy to ambush on a horse, usually a stolen horse and with a flint locked pistol, which was a fairly new style of firearm that was known to be light, accurate and cheap compared to its predecessors.
We're going to take a break for a word from our sponsors. When we return, we'll tell the most famous tale there is about Claude, the gentleman robber.
Welcome back to Criminalia. With a quote flamboyant sweep of his feathered hat, Claude became the most wanted highwayman in England. Claude found the richest marks and therefore many of his raids took place at Maidenhead Thicket, a dense land at the time, as well as on the Bath Road. He found Blackheath and Hampstead to also be quite lucrative.
His image as a debonair and courteous highwayman was important to him. So we're going to tell a story that maybe truth or close to the truth, but even if it's not the truth, it's a perfect way to describe his style. The crime he may be most famous for, and which has likely been exaggerated over the centuries, was his attempt to rob a couple at Hampstead Heath. As he approached the carriage, he yelled out the call of
the highway robber, stand and deliver. According to English critic, essayist and poet Lee Hunt, this robbery was quote an eternal feather in the cap of highway gentility.
Here's what allegedly went down. The carriage was carrying a nobleman, his wife, and their domestic worker when Claude stopped them unexpectedly. The wife challenged Claude to a contest described as a quote musical interlude involving a flute and a coronto. That's a type of dance. You might not expect a highwayman to carry a flute along with his pistols and sword and other tools of the trade, but according to this legend, he had one, and in response to her challenge, started
to play along with her. He asked whether she could dance as well as she played. That was an invitation she accepted. Her husband was against it. He probably thought this was the weirdest flirting his wife had ever done. And so these two people, according to lore, danced to karanto under the moonlight. Though we can't figure out who
would have been playing the flute exactly. Maybe he could play and dance at the same time, but this very request, it said, amused Claude, and because he was so delighted by the interaction, he reduced their payment to him from four hundred pounds to a mere one hundred, and he did make them promise to never bother him. This sounds like a slow, lightly hilarious, and very romanticized version of the story, doesn't it. There is another version with a
different ending. In that one, the nobleman had neglected to pay, but under Claude's demands he did, and he paid the full four hundred exaggerated or not, This story became an important scene, immortalized in a painting by William Powell Frith in eighteen sixty. It also showed up in other artworks.
Dancing with his target is a great example that set Claude apart from other highwaymen, and it's a distinctive behavior. Yet he often rode with men who were criminals and who probably did not ascribe to the same code of
conduct as he did. The myth of his life later became even more embellished, with some people claiming that he once saved Charles the Second's life and that he was a bit more than just a friend to Nell Gwynn pretty witty Nell, as she was called, was an actress, but is probably best remembered in history as a mistress of King Charles the Second.
On November nineteenth, sixteen sixty nine, a proclamation listing notorious offenders was issued. Claude was number one on that list. Additionally, a reward of twenty pounds was placed on his head, and the London Gazette described him as quote the most wanted highwayman in England. Many accounts suggest that Claude left England for France at this time, hoping that authorities in
his own reputation would cool down a little bit. But he found that the practice of highway robbery was a lot less lucrative in France, mainly because carriages and the people who traveled in them typically traveled with less money and more guns than those outside of London. So caution to the wind, Claude returned to England with quote a flamboyant sweep of his feathered hat.
We're going to take a break for a word from our sponsors. When we're back, we'll talk about Claude's arrest.
Welcome back to Criminalium. The road ended for Claude in sixteen seventy, so let's talk about his arrest, trial and execution.
It was in a tavern called the Hole in the Wall in Covent Garden where Claude was arrested in December of sixteen sixty nine after having a bit too much ale, and it didn't help his cause that he was carrying three pistols and a sword. According to his biographer William Pope, it's generally considered that if he had been sober, he wouldn't have been apprehended so easily. Too much ale, At least what we uncovered in our early research seems to be a pattern for arrest among high waymen.
His exploits had deepened his polite reputation, especially his chivalry with women. In fact, Claude had fans. Some women actually wanted to be robbed by him, and this arrest was just not the affair they were looking for. Alexander Smith's A History of the Lives and Robberies of the most Notorious Highwaymen, Footpads, Shoplifts and Cheats, which was published after Claude's death, turned people on to the lives and motivations of these popular criminals. Although Smith was trying to persuade
people against a life of crime. Writing during the golden age of highwaymen, quote stirred the public appetite for tales of rascality. Smith's book was heavily edited, but the authenticity that's got big Air quotes on it of his narrative, he claimed, was at its heart to keep the criminal's voice in the expression of the accounts. When every publisher wanted a good story, even if factual information was kind
of overlooked. In fact, publishers began to visit Newgate Prison looking for criminals who were willing to sell their stories.
Claude had a short stay at Newgate Prison while waiting for his trial. It was once the most notorious prison in London. While there, it's reported that he had many guests. Most of his admirers were women, and women were the ones lining up to visit the Gentleman robber. Claude was arraigned and convicted at the Old Bailey on six counts of highway robbery. Though he had certainly committed additional highway crimes,
there was no evidence to prove he did. There were many attempts, mainly from women, to grant reprieve those who didn't want to see him imprisoned, argued about his good character and that he had never engaged in any violence. In fact, Claude was convinced he would be pardoned by
Charles the Second, he was not. During his trial, Judge Sir William Morton ignored the protests and because of quote the spectacle of ladies of fashion and beauty masked with tear stained faces, he cleared the courtroom at one point during proceeding.
Taught at last after a ten year successful career in highway robbery, Claude was sentenced to death by hanging at Tiburn. He who quote brought class and dignity to the profession of highwaymen, died in London on January twenty first, sixteen seventy. He may have been French by birth, but as an English highwayman under English law, he was hanged. He was twenty seven years old. Claude was buried at Saint Paul's Church, possibly under the pseudonym Peter Duval. The Newgate Calendar described
his funeral as a quote large affair. He was laid in state, a distinguished burial that allowed people to view him and paid their respects. Many people attended the funeral and its said his tomb had quote a white marble stone laid over him. So this, i'll suggests he was not treated like a common criminal in death. He was perhaps more a celebrity criminal who helped create the cultural identity of the gentleman robber.
His memoirs were written by William Pope while Claude was at Newgate Prison and are considered the main source of many events in his life, including the first account of his time as a highwayman. It was and is considered the exaggerated biographical account that turned Claude into a folk legend. Some truth, some truthsh but in the end it's believed Claude was the gentleman robber who paved the way for future depictions and adventures of the chivalrous highwayman.
Would you like a swig from the hip flask?
Time? Maybe two? Oh Claude?
Okay? So in doing this one, I wanted to incorporate the fact that Claude was French but operated largely in England, so ingredients are coming from both countries. And I wanted to include Ale because that features in his arrest, as well as the place that he worked when he was younger. So it's actually named after that place, the Santa Spree, because a spree, of course in French means spirit, which references alcohol on a secondary way. And also because Claude just had a lot of spirit.
So you could say that now that's.
His drink, the Santa Spree. So this one is easy to put together, but there is some floater on top. So get ready. You are going to combine in your shaking tin an ounce and a half of gin, three quarters of an ounce of lime juice, so that gin is referencing England, three quarters of an ounce of benedictine, which is French, it's a French herbal liquor, and then
three quarters of an ounce of simple syrup. And you're gonna give that a good shake with ice, and you're gonna strain it into a glass that can hold at least six ounces of liquid, because then you are going to float on top of it three ounces of ale. So this is another good time where you get out your bar spoon with the flat end that sits perpendicular to the actual shaft of the spoon and pour it down it very carefully, and the ale is darker than the rest of the drinks, so you get kind of
a rich top to it. How you drink this is a drinker's choice because it tells the story two ways. You can just drink it as it's presented at that point, and you start with ale, and then it gets richer and becomes a little more interesting and sweeter as you go as the two mix together in the tipping of
the glass. Or you can stir it together, which does something very interesting because it still has the mouthfeel of an ale like that, you know, kind of frothy, slightly bubbly thing, but it doesn't taste like one at all, and it's super weird but very delicious. I was pleasantly surprised by how this one turned out. So those are your options in drinking it. Listen. I don't usually drink a lot of beers, ales, et cetera.
I didn't think, so I'm a little surprised by this one.
So there was a special trip to the grocery store to make the mocktail on this one. We're combining some things because you're gonna make a syrup. So before you make anything drink wise, you have to make a syrup. We're making an allspice syrup. In lieu of a simple syrup. So you're just gonna do a cup of water, a cup of sugar, and a tablespoon or a little more if you really like allspice. I like it to be very flavored. And this is kind of making up for
the benedictine, so you can be pretty heavy with it. Also, if you want to add other spices to it, you can do that, throw in a little base, throw in a little you know, whatever you wish. We don't know what all's in benedictine, So the floor is yours, and you're just gonna let that simmer until it all combines, and then let it cool and strain it off, and then you have your all spice syrups. So you will use an ounce of that syrup, three quarters of an ounce of lime, and then an ounce and a half
of flat tonic. You'll do the same thing. You'll shake it until it's really cold, pour it into a pre chilled glass. And then you have options here because we're obviously not going to do ale, so you can either if you want to stay very true to the original flavor of the drink, you can float a non alcoholic beer on top. I feel like that is a category that has really gotten a lot better in the last few years as more people have embraced sober lifestyles or
just not into drinking alcohol, which is totally cool. So you have a lot more options. I would reck commend that as the ideal. If you don't want to do that, though, you could use ginger ale here. The problem is that ginger ale you're gonna have to go with a very low sugar one because if you go with a full sugar it's not gonna float at all because it will compete with the all spice syrup. As we all remember if we've done this before, you want your heaviest thing
on the bottom. So ginger ales, depending on the brand, can sometimes have a lot of sugar and be quite thick. If you get one like that, it's gonna sink. It won't quite work the way is intended. So ideal outcome would be a non alcoholic beer. Second option is a very low sugar ginger ale, or even a ginger beer if you want a little bite, and that is the Santa Sprie to give you the spirit of Claude Duval.
You can wear your feather hat o bananas. We hope you have enjoyed this very very fun story of this very spirited and sometimes hilarious gentlemen, Robert. We will be right back here again next week with another highwayman and more drinks to go with that story. We hope to see a here. Criminalia is a production of Shondaland Audio
in partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from Shondaland Audio, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.