Not as well known today as pirates, highwayman were as celebrated and reviled in different parts of society as much piracy was. Highwayman were mounted thieves and brigands who preyed on rich travelers, usually travelling in a coach, highwaymen were a constant problem from the 16th century to early 19th century. The first use of the term highwayman dates from the early 17th century, the same period where the famous highwayman demand to ‘Stand and deliver!’ also originates. Other terms used for highwayman include ‘knights of the road’ and ‘gentlemen of the road’, alluding to their romanticisation as popular folk hero’; Written in 1717 by Captain Alexander Smith (fl. 1714–1726), it is more probable that Smith was not a military Captain but a frequenter of police-courts and taverns, using the Captain moniker to lend credibility to his writings.