The Cock Road Gang - Bristol Radical Pamphleteer #28

Cock Road was, in the 18th Century, a tiny hamlet on the outskirts of Bristol, within the lawless Kingswood Forest. Though a small area, the exploits of the inhabitants brought it to the attention of the authorities of Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset. It was claimed that a criminal gang, unmatched in notoriety, came from Cock Road. In reality, anyone committing a criminal act who lived in the forest was tarnished as a member of the gang. They were engaged in horse stealing, burglary, highway robbery and, possibly, the first ram raid. They even had a structured protection racket, where farmers paid according to the size of their estate. They had links in the area, as well as up and down the country. Generations of the same families were hanged, transported and imprisoned. It took the full force of the authorities and the undermining of their way of life to stop the gang.