Dick Turpin is synonymous with York after being held prisoner in York castle and eventually executed in Knavesmire in York.
Well, popular tourist attraction York Dungeon, which plays on the fact that the infamous highwayman has a history with the city as received a complaint due to the name ‘Dick’, which they deemed to be offensive to children.
It was announced back in July that Dick was in fact back to York Dungeon for the summer along with nine other immersive tales including the “Plague Doctor’s Assistant, the Torture Chamber, Vengeance of the Vikings, Guy Fawkes, and the Curse of the Witch.”
I don’t know about you but knowing that Dick was short for Richard as a child was absolutely hilarious, but some parents don’t see it that way and instead would like him to be referred to as Richard Turpin, which doesn’t have the same dastardly ring to it.
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The York Dungeon said: “Some parents did not take Dick’s return to the York Dungeon lightly, with the attraction receiving a number of requests for the character to be renamed to Richard due to the apparent rude nature of his nickname.
“The York Dungeon, however, has remained firm in their stance, stating that the Dick Turpin show will remain in the same name, despite the complaints. This means guests will be able to experience all the thrills and chills of Dick’s darkened carriage without any changes.”
General manager Mark Mattinson added: “The York Dungeon is renowned for revealing the deepest and darkest secrets of the city’s unique past – whether that includes Dick or not!
“The character is one of our most frightful foes, and we know how much our guests enjoy interacting with him along with our other rogues and rascals throughout our shows.
“Our Dick’s Back carriage ride is the grand finale of our York Dungeon tour, and thousands of guests have already enjoyed this thrilling end to their visit. We were shocked to receive complaints to change his name but despite any potentially rude connotations, we’re here to say that Dick, is here to stay!”
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