How a Victorian novelist accidentally rewrote history by romanticizing notorious outlaws and criminals

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: William Harrison Ainsworth was once a literary superstar whose historical romances captivated the masses. By blending fact with fiction, he turned legendary highwaymen like Dick Turpin into folk heroes. Though his fame eventually faded, his influence on how we perceive historical figures remains a subject of intense modern debate.

Born in 1805, William Harrison Ainsworth initially pursued a legal career in Manchester before abandoning it for the literary world. His breakthrough came in 1834 with the publication of Rookwood, a novel that introduced readers to a romanticized version of the highwayman Dick Turpin. This work earned him significant acclaim, with some critics even hailing him as the successor to Sir Walter Scott. Ainsworth’s success continued with Jack Sheppard in 1839, which focused on an 18th-century burglar and solidified his reputation as a leading figure of the controversial Newgate school of fiction.

The Newgate novels sparked a fierce backlash, as critics accused Ainsworth and his peers of glamorizing criminal behavior. This controversy, often referred to as the Newgate Controversy, led Ainsworth to shift his focus toward historical novels centered on iconic locations rather than outlaws. Works such as The Tower of London, Old St. Paul’s, and Windsor Castle showcased his talent for capturing the pageantry and atmosphere of history. While these books were immensely popular and financially successful during his lifetime, they were frequently criticized for their lack of character depth and coherent plotting.

Ainsworth’s legacy is complex. While he was a prolific writer who published around 40 novels, his reputation suffered after his death in 1882. Modern scholars often point to his tendency to distort historical events, such as his Gothic reimagining of the 1612 Lancashire witch trials. Despite this, he remains a significant figure in literary history, having influenced the cultural perception of figures like Turpin and even reviving the ancient flitch of bacon custom in Great Dunmow. Today, he appears as a character in contemporary fiction, reflecting his enduring, if contested, status in the literary canon.

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