John Sheppard (4 March 1702 – 16 November 1724), nicknamed "Honest Jack", "Gentleman Jack" or "Jack the Lad" (the origin of the British phrase), was an English criminal who became notorious in early 18th-century London. Born into a poor family, he was apprenticed as a carpenter, but began committing theft and burglary in 1723 with little more than a year of his training to complete. He was arrested and imprisoned five times in 1724, but escaped four times from prison, making him notorious, though popular with the poorer classes.

Key figuresJack Sheppard