The account tells us how a brewer called Nathaniel Seager was travelling by horse from Shaftesbury to Blandford when he was stopped by a highwayman, who commanded "God D---m you, you old Dog, alight and deliver". The highwayman not only robbed Seager but also attacked him with a sword, leaving him "bleeding upon the Ground".

Seager was found shortly after by a miller named Joseph Reader who, after asking what had happened, pursued the highwayman in order to apprehend him. The highwayman fired twice at Reader with his pistol, but the miller avoided being hit and knocked the highwayman to the ground with an "Oak Cudgel".

Fearing that the highwayman might recover and escape, Reader decided to act as judge, jury and executioner and taking "the Highway-Man's Belt from about his Middle, he put it about his Neck, and dragg'd him to a Tree, and fairly hung him up till he was Dead, Dead, Dead."

Initially, Reader's vigilante action seemed to have brought equally swift retribution against the miller himself. He was sent to Dorchester Prison, and was subsequently tried at the next Assize court. However, the testimony of the brewer Mr Seager helped secure Reader's release, and indeed there was a show of support from local people, who "gave the Miller at least Thirty Pounds amongst 'em by way of Encouragement".

This document comes from our Local Studies library – a collection of more than 15000 books, pamphlets, maps and other printed material relating to the history of Dorset. You can check the contents of the library using the online catalogue, selecting 'Dorset History Centre' from the drop-down list. The library is currently being recatalogued, which will make it much easier for visitors to use.

You can find accounts of other trials amongst our collection of local newspapers.

We also hold the records of the Dorset Quarter Sessions (pdf, 41kb) (opens in a new window) . More serious crimes were tried at the Assizes, as was the case with Joseph Reader, and the records for these courts are held at The National Archives (opens in a new window) .