The strange story of the hapless highwayman whose body hung in a gibbet outside Sheffield for 36 years

Because following his trial and execution, his body was hung in a gibbet on Attercliffe Common, where it remained for a staggering 36 years - attracting more than 40,000 people to view the grizzly exhibit on its first day alone.

Born around 1746 in Lincolnshire, Broughton and an accomplice robbed the Rotherham to Sheffield Mail coach in 1791 and went on to commit other crimes around the country.

Broughton married and had children and worked as a farmer, but his gambling obsession drew him to the cock fighting pits of Sheffield, and Derby and he abandoned his family.

Dates differ, but at some point between late January and early February, Broughton and his accomplice, one John Oxley, walked out of Sheffield, where they had stayed the night, along the Rotherham Road, where they met the coach.

But thinking they would be in line for richer pickings if they waited for it to make its return journey, they lay in wait.

When it arrived, the two men forced the driver into a field, blindfolded and handcuffed him, then made off with the mail bag which, unfortunately for the two hapless criminals, contained only one item of value - a French bill of exchange worth £123 at the time.

The pair made off in the direction of Mansfield, dumping the bag and the rest of its contents in a stream, before parting company - Oxley heading to London to try and cash the bill.

Broughton and Oxley were finally arrested in London in October, 1791, after committing further robberies in Cambridge and Aylesbury, along with a third man named John Shaw in London.

Often thought to be the ringleader, Shaw pointed the blame squarely at Broughton, while Oxley managed to escape from Clerkenwell Prison, leaving him to stand trial alone.

Broughton was transferred to York from Newgate prison in March, 1792, for his trial - which lasted a mere 90 minutes.

Shaw testified that Oxley and Broughton had come to him asking if he knew where they could cash the French bill, and another man, one John Close, testified that he had met Broughton in London while he was looking for Oxley, complaining to him that he had not received his share of the loot.

Broughton was sentenced to be hanged and seemed extremely remorseful in the days leading up to his trial, although on the fateful day, he seemed to change his mind, protested his innocence and claimed he had been six miles away at the time of the robbery.

The gibbet was erected on Attercliffe Common, within three miles of Sheffield as the trial judge had demanded, and was only taken down in 1827 when the lands new owner is said to have had it removed because he had grown tired of trespassers.

But the highwayman’s macabre ending led him to become a creature of legend and folklore, with popular ballads written about him in the years after his death.

Editor's message: Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues. The Star is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. You can subscribe here www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions for unlimited access to Sheffield news and information online. Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.