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I was set upon this trail by Dr Marianne Gilchrist of Fife who had already completed some background research but could not identify Chaplin. Ralph Chaplin appears nowhere but within the legend. There is no mention of him in the Parish Register Indices and a thorough search at Hertford Archive library found no Chaplins at all. He was supposedly captured red-handed on Finchley Common and as with all of his type he was hanged on the spot. So much for the partner in crime!

During the middle of the seventeenth century highway robbery was still an activity pursued by gentlemen. Many were royalist supporters left without home or income and struggling for a living. This is the time of honourable thieves, romantic figures of high born families and always well mannered - 'Stand and deliver. Your money or your life'. Am image ripped apart by the end of the next century.

Another English folk song is 'Savay' about a young girl who disguises herself as a highwayman in order to test her lover. The highwayman and stories of ladies in disguise are strong themes in English folklore.

The final piece in the puzzle concerns another Ferrers family. In 1760 Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl of Ferrers was hanged at Tyburn for murdering a old and faithful servant. He was known afterwards as 'Wicked Lord Ferrers'.

In 1611 his ancestor George Shirley was created a baronet by James 1. He was a defiant royalist as was his grandson Sir Robert Shirley who built a church in 1653. Cromwell suspected him of being a monarchist and imprisoned him in the Tower on the grounds that if he had enough money for a church he had enough for an army. These Ferrers were also considered to be firm Roman Catholics.

All the high born ladies marrying into the Fanshawes have thereafter been called Fanshawe; only Katherine has been called by her hereditary title - Lady Ferrers. It is a simple slip of the tongue from Wicked Lord to Wicked Lady. Add in the stories of lady highwayman, ladies disguised to tempt lovers and royalists with no army, home or cash wandering the countryside robbing all and sundry and you have the making of a modern myth.

As mentioned above both the Ferrers and the Fanshawes were members of a more or less orthodox English church. Did the epithet 'wicked' come about through confusion over the different Ferrers family - one of which was catholic. Catholics were slowly eased out of mainstream politics with the death of James II and the 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688. 'Wicked' Lord Ferrers' was hanged, his ancestors were Catholics - so why not Katherine, wicked Lady Ferrers.

There is certainly a mystery surrounding Katherine's death. The only extant picture (right) portrays a very young girl. Archive material is patchy during the years 1643 to 1660. In the mid seventeenth century premature and early death was not uncommon; there was little hospital care for women with difficult births. Her death may have been from natural causes, possibly childbirth, perhaps a fatal miscarriage - husband Thomas did not marry again until 1665 and had four children, the first became the 3rd Viscount Fanshawe. (see note at end of article)

It is said that her ghost walks far and wide over Nomansland Common; it haunts the hidden staircase at Markyate Cell and she can be heard riding all over the countryside. Her horse is black with white blazes, or in other versions, ghostly white. She has been seen swinging from the sycamore tree below which lies the treasure she stole. Though her body is buried in Ware she is a much travelled and troubled spirit; it is the stuff of folklore.

There is nothing to connect Katherine with the crime of highway robbery. She was born into a wealthy family and married into another. By an accident of birth she found herself in the middle of a Civil War in which family fortunes were lost and family life ruined. The Fanshawe's were rewarded by Charles II with the title of Viscount Fanshawe; father and son both represented Hertford in Parliament. Katherine on the other hand, found herself the target for unspeakable crimes. History has not served her well. I think it is time to let her rest in peace - as Lady Katherine Ferrers.

©John Barber 2009

A shortened version of this article was published in Hertfordshire Countryside July 2002.

In 2003 I was contacted by the current Fanshawe family who forwarded me a copy of Katherine's portrait (reproduced at the head of this article, although its current whereabouts is unknown). It is thought to be a portrait of her at the age of 14. They also referred me to a family history written by Herbert Fanshawe in 1927 but which draws heavily on Lady Ann's memoirs.

He states that 'she died at the age of 26 in June, 1660, immediately after Lady Fanshawe had been with her at her lodging in the Strand on the occasion of the celebration of the return of King Charles II. to his capital on the 29 of May. Possibly her death occurred at the birth of a child for the Register of Ayott St. Lawrence (no great distance from Ware), gives the burial, on 22 November in the same year, of "Marie Fanshawe daughter of Sir Thomas Fanshaw."

Neither Lord Fanshawe nor Sir Thomas Fanshawe of Jenkins were knighted till after this date, so in either case the entry must have been inserted some time later than the burial but that was not very unusual in those days : many of the parish Registers being irregularly kept.

Very probably the child was put out to nurse after her mother's death."

Katherine's husband was imprisoned by Cromwell in 1659 following the Booth uprising in the North and not released until February 1660. At the most, four months is a short pregnancy for a child to have survived in those times. If it was that Katherine died in childbirth - and most sources say she died childless - then who's was it? If not Thomas then why did he have her buried in November of that year at a different place from Katherine who was buried at Ware on 13 June 1660. No stigma attached to that either from the memoirs of the time.

Legend says she was shot and died from loss of blood at Markyate Cell. Possibly not. Possibly from a miscarriage which has been discussed above.

Thomas had 4 children from his second marriage - son Evelyn (his wife's maiden name), Anna-Maria (add an 'a' to Ann a popular Fanshawe name and Marie the dead child, Sarah (his wife's name) and lastly Katherine. Makes you wonder doesn't it?

© John Barber November 2009

I have since been contacted by the curator of the Valence House Museum who was able to confirm that in 2003 when Robin Fanshawe contacted me the painting was still in the hands of the Devonshire branch of the family. However, in 2004 the portrait came to Valence House Museum to join the other 48 Fanshawe portraits given in 1963. There are portraits of her husband Thomas and her step-father Simon. Portraits of many of the Fanshawe’s are held there and this is a link to the Valence House Museum.

©John Barber - May 2009.

To catch up - Part 1 is here.

English literature thrives on this romantic, almost glamorous figure. It is the stuff of novels by Walter Scott and melodramatic English films of the nineteen fifties - there have been at least two films based on the Wicked Lady legend.

Every English county has its moonlit riders, headless figures on horseback (and headless horses!), ghostly coach and four, spirit figures haunting hanging trees at crossroads. Why has this tradition attached itself to Katherine.

The Fanshawes had raised much needed funds; other royalist supporters may well have stooped to looting and highway robbery to secure the cash for their armies. Tales of underhand methods may well have been attributed to the Fanshawes who were well known as royalist supporters but lately struck for cash having their lands confiscated and members of family in hiding abroad.

One of the pointers to Katherine has been a nineteenth century ballad 'Maude of Allinghame'. It tells the story of the daughter of a great and wealthy noble who is courted by all manner of eligible bachelors but she rejects them. She robs one such young lord on his way home and later the Mayor of Redbourne. She is hunted down, chased and shot but reaches home where she dies.

This is close to the story of Katherine as it has been told down the centuries, but the latter was married. It seems a closer comparison to Anne, surviving daughter of Thomas Fanshawe snr and his first wife, also Ann who was the daughter of Sir Giles Alington of Cambridgeshire.

The surnames are similar. From the burial and baptism dates, 19 and 27 July 1628 respectively it would appear her mother died in childbirth but Anne Fanshawe lived out her days as an old maid (Ann Fanshawe's words! not mine) until 1714.

Listen to Phil Ochs live version of The Highwayman from here.