Highwaymen were robbers who stole from travellers. In England, Highwaymen were active from Elizabethan times right through to the early 19th century. (PROSE: A History of Humankind) They held up stagecoaches and forced passengers to hand over money on peril of their lives. (TV: The Visitation)
According to a Coal Hill School textbook, Dick Turpin was the most famous highwayman. (PROSE: A History of Humankind) Richard Mace was a highwayman. (TV: The Visitation) Ashildr became a highwaywoman in the year 1651, operating under the alias of "the Knightmare". Sam Swift was also a highwayman active at that time. (TV: The Woman Who Lived) There was also another highwayman called John Nevison. (PROSE: A History of Humankind)
Carole Rose was a notorious highwaywoman around York who was hanged in 1735. (COMIC: Malthill Way) The Woman Who Lived's synopsis mentioned the "deadly highwayman 'the Knightmare' and his sidekick come..." (WC: The Zygon Isolation)