can you reccomend where I can find out (in a bit of detail) about the history of highwaymen in south devon?

You could try the Westcountry Studies library via Devon County Council. A search on their site produced two records:

The North Devon Highwayman by S.E. Latham ISBN 0905297059

Tom Faggus by S.E.Latham ISBN 0905297059

There are mentions of a character called Old Mobb who operated in the Westcountry on a couple of websites.

Sabine Baring Gould relates the story of John Barnes, Taverner & Highwayman but his seems to have been a one-off crime.

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Not sure of the exact localities, but this site gives some info:

http://www.outlawsandhighwaymen.com/contents.htm