Turpin

Turpin may refer to:

People

Given name

Surname

Dick Turpin

Richard "Dick" Turpin (bapt. 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher early in life, but, by the early 1730s, he had joined a gang of deer thieves and, later, became a poacher, burglar, horse thief and killer. He is also known for a fictional 200-mile (320 km) overnight ride from London to York on his horse Black Bess, a story that was made famous by the Victorian novelist William Harrison Ainsworth almost 100 years after Turpin's death.

Turpin's involvement in the crime for which he is most closely associated—highway robbery—followed the arrest of the other members of his gang in 1735. He then disappeared from public view towards the end of that year, only to resurface in 1737 with two new accomplices, one of whom he may have accidentally shot and killed. Turpin fled from the scene and shortly afterwards killed a man who attempted his capture. Later that year, he moved to Yorkshire and assumed the alias of John Palmer. While he was staying at an inn, local magistrates became suspicious of "Palmer" and made enquiries as to how he funded his lifestyle. Suspected of being a horse thief, "Palmer" was imprisoned in York Castle, to be tried at the next assizes. Turpin's true identity was revealed by a letter he wrote to his brother-in-law from his prison cell, which fell into the hands of the authorities. On 22 March 1739, Turpin was found guilty on two charges of horse theft and sentenced to death; he was executed on 7 April 1739.

Grégory Turpin

Grégory Turpin is a French pop singer and songwriter. He was born on July 3, 1980 in Saint-Girons, Ariège in south-western France. His three albums have contributed to the rise of spiritual pop music in France.

Early life

Grégory Turpin was born in Ariège to parents who were both shopkeepers. He began making music at the age of twelve, when he started taking guitar lessons. At fifteen he converted to Catholicism, which eventually led him to join the monastic order of Carmel in Montpellier. He was forced to leave the monastery after a year due to serious health problems. Turpin began to make a living performing in bars in Toulouse and soon became a great success as part of the city’s night-life.

Career

In 2005, following his recovery from drug addiction, Turpin began using his artistic talent in the service of others. He has since participated in several initiatives involving young people, held in various cities throughout France. The most notable of these is the 2007 production of the musical comedy Un Lys dans les épines [A Lily Among the Thorns] performed in the city of Châlons-en-Champagne in northern France. The production brought together 70 young people from a variety of backgrounds to tell the history of the Basilique Notre-Dame de l’Epine through the medium of music. The production attracted more than 3,000 audience members.

Horrible Histories

It is now 20 years since the first Horrible Histories books – Awesome Egyptians and Terrible Tudors – were published, so the first generation of children exposed to the grisly sensibility of Terry Deary and the cartoonist Martin Brown may now have children of their own. The output in those two decades has been extraordinary: there are now more than 100 titles, which have sold 20 million copies (eight million of those in translation), to 31 countries. There are sticker books, annuals, Horrible Histories Top Trumps, mugs, video games, roadshows and a magazine that was launched last autumn. The CBBC series was a relative latecomer to the party in 2009; before that, in 2001-2, there were two series of an animated version that never really took off, then in 2006 the Birmingham Stage Company secured the stage rights and has been touring with Horrible Histories stage productions ever since.

Horrible Histories is an educational entertainment franchise encompassing many media including books, magazines, audio books, stage shows, TV shows, and more.