Kitty Hawke

Kitty was born in the small village of Spreyton about 20 miles from Widecombe-in-the-moor Devon. Daughter of Tom Pearce and niece of the notorious old Tom Cobley who was said to have fathered all the red headed children within a 50 mile radius of Spreyton but was never married.

Born in 1710, she married Harry Hawke in 1728. Harry plied his trade as a highwayman on Dartmoor for many years with varying degrees of success due to the stiff competition from the many other Dartmoor highway men ( including Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney, Peter Davey and not to mention Daniel Whiddon).
All was fine until one day when Harry Hawke was out riding an old grey mare he had borrowed from Kitty's father, The horse stumbled on a tree root and Harry fell off landing on his head. He then proceeded to expire unceremoniously in a ditch beside the road.

Kitty finding herself with nothing but a tumbledown cottage and an old grey mare to her name had little option other than to take up her dead husband's profession and became a notorious highwaywoman.

She would work only at night dressed in black with bone white face makeup. She would appear, looking like death on a huge grey horse as she launched herself into the road, blocking her victims path and shouting “Hand over yer money and yer jewels or would ye rather play at dice?” This made them so sorely afraide, that they parted with their trinkets and baubles gladly in their eagerness to avoid dicing with death.

This routine worked surprising well until one day the old grey mare lay down and died at the side of the road. Her father was most upset at the loss of the grey mare, which he had had since it was a foal. He was so upset, they say he sat on a stone and cried.

Fortunately for Kitty, Swillin' Billy Flynn happened upon her as she sat cross legged on top of a dead horse at the road side polishing her flintlock. He offered to share his horse with her to the next village but before they got there he had signed her up as crew and she has graced the decks of a pirate ship ever since.

She always claims that someone in Spreyton had written a song about her and her family but nobody believed a word of it.

Note * The crew heard the following song in a Devon tavern many years later but the writer seemed to have got a lot of the facts muddled up. When the singer was challenged on this point by Kitty, he claimed he had used poetic licence as most people just would not believe a woman could be a successful highway robber. As he left the tavern later that night, Kitty robbed him of his money, his jewellery and even his mandolin just to prove a point.

"Tom Pearce, Tom Pearce, lend me your grey mare,
All along, down along, out along, lee,
For I want for to go to Widecombe Fair,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all."

"And when shall I see again my grey mare?"
All along, down along, out along, lee,
"By Friday soon, or Saturday noon,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all."

So they harnessed and bridled the old grey mare
All along, down along, out along, lee,
And off they drove to Widecombe fair,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all."

Then Friday came, and Saturday noon,
All along, down along, out along, lee,
But Tom Pearces old mare hath not trotted home,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all."

So Tom Pearce he got up to the top o' the hill
All along, down along, out along, lee,
And he seed his old mare down a-making her will,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all."

So Tom Pearce's old mare, her took sick and died,
All along, down along, out along, lee,
And Tom he sat down on a stone, and he cried
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all."

But this isn't the end o' this shocking affair,
All along, down along, out along, lee,
Nor, though they be dead, of the horrid career
Of Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all."

When the wind whistles cold on the moor of the night
All along, down along, out along, lee,
Tom Pearce's old mare doth appear gashly white,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all."

And all the long night he heard skirling and groans,
All along, down along, out along, lee,
From Tom Pearce's old mare in her rattling bones,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
 Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all."