Highwayman
The game of “Highwayman” published by Chad Valley Company in c.1950 simulates travelling on old Coach Routes and being held up by highwaymen.
The game of “Highwayman”
“Highwayman” card game simulates travelling on the old Coach Routes and running the risk of being held up by highwaymen, outlaws who usually travelled and robbed by horse. The famous demand to “Stand and deliver!” was in use from the 17th century. The Coach Routes all depart from London and make their ways through the country to their destination, such as Dover, York, Exeter and so on. In the event of being held up by a “Highwayman”, the “Bow Street Runner” (early type of policeman) would save you. See: the Rules→

Above: The game of “Highwayman” published by Chad Valley Company, c.1950.

By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)
Member since January 30, 2009
View ArticlesRex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many.
His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.
Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service.
Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.
His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.