John Nevison (1639 – 4 May 1684), also known as William Nevison or Nevinson, was one of Britain's most notorious highwaymen, a gentleman rogue supposedly nicknamed Swift Nick by King Charles II after a renowned 200-mile (320 km) dash from Kent to York to establish an alibi for a robbery he had committed earlier that day. The story inspired William Harrison Ainsworth to include a modified version in his novel Rookwood, in which he attributed the feat to Dick Turpin. There are suggestions that the feat was actually undertaken by Samuel Nicks.[1][2] The TV series Dick Turpin had an accomplice of the highwayman, Nick, who earned the nickname "Swiftnick".
- ^ Sargent, John S. "Swiftnicks, according to Defoe". overtown.org.uk. Overtown Miscellany. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
Mr Nicks' Christian name may have been Samuel according to a footnote in the Newgate Calendar.
- ^ Sargent, John S. "The Epic Ride to York - Nevison or Swifnicks?". overtown.org.uk. Overtown Miscellany. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
Swiftnicks' Christian name may be found in a postscript to Jackson's Recantation [...] 1674, in which 'Samuel Swiftnicks' tells the reader [...]