Great North Road (Great Britain) not compete with the new railways. The last coach from London to Newcastle left in 1842 and the last from Newcastle to Edinburgh in July 1847. The highwayman Dick Turpin's flight from London to York in less than 15 hours on his mare Black Bess is the most famous legend of the Great North Road. Various inns along the route claim Turpin ate a meal or stopped for respite for his horse. Harrison Ainsworth, in his 1834 romance "Rookwood", immortalised the ride. Historians argue that Turpin never made the journey, claiming that the ride was by John Nevison, "Swift Nick",
Robbert Duval (1639–1732) left Padua with them for Venice, where he stayed until 1681. In 1682 he returned to the Hague, where he helped set up the Royal Academy of Art (The Hague) with Willem Doudijns, Theodor van der Schuer, and Daniel Mijtens the Younger. In the same year he became court painter to William III of England and worked at Het Loo Palace and Hampton Court. He lived to a great age. Robbert Duval (1639–1732) Robbert Duval (21 September 1639, The Hague – 22 January 1732, The Hague), was a Dutch Golden Age painter who lived well into the 18th century. According