A
highwayman was a
robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually
travelled and robbed by
horse, as compared to a
footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads. Such robbers operated in
Great Britain from the
Elizabethan era until the early 19th century. In many other countries, they persisted for a few decades longer, until the mid or late 19th century.