| John Rann | |
|---|---|
John Rann in the dock before magistrate Fielding. |
|
| Born | 1750 Somerset,England |
| Died | November 30, 1774 Tyburn, London |
| Nationality | English |
| Other names | 16 String Jack |
| Occupation | Criminal |
| Known for | Highway man |
John "Sixteen String Jack" Rann (1750 – November 30, 1774) was an English criminal and highwayman during the mid-18th century. He was a prominent and colourful local figure renowned for his wit and charm, he would later come to be known as "Sixteen String Jack" for the 16 various coloured strings he wore on the knees of his silk breeches among other eccentric costumes.
Born near Bath in Somerset, England, he served as a postillion to a local woman and during his teenage years worked as coachman in London. He soon became accustomed to living beyond his means, such as wearing expensive costumes for which to attend balls and galas of the city's social circles, and was constantly in debt as a result.
He began pick-pocketing with some success eventually stealing watches and other valuables along Hounslow Road, however soon became a highwayman and, although he was arrested several times on charges of highway robbery, six of his cases were dismissed due to lack of evidence as witnesses were unable to identify Rann.
During one trial at Bow Street, while wearing an unusually large number of flowers in his coat and his irons decorated with blue ribbons, Rann reportedly addressed the presiding magistrate Sir John Fielding "I know no more of the matter than you do or half as much" when he was asked if he had anything to say in his defense.
He was finally apprehended after robbing the chaplain of Princess Amelia near Brentford in 1774 and, held in custody at Newgate Gaol where he supposedly entertained seven women at a farewell dinner, before his execution on November 30. Shortly before he was to be hanged, appearing in a specially made pea-green suit adorned by a large nosegay, he enjoyed cheerful banter with both the hangman and the crowd, then danced a jig, before being publicly executed at Tyburn at the age of 24.
A play about Rann, Sixteen String Jack, was a first hit for playwright William Leman Rede in 1823. A novel based on his life, titled Sixteen String Jack, was published in 1841.