18th and 19th Century Crime and Punishment

Question 1

Which crimes were most feared by the authorities in the period 1500-1700?

Answer 1

heresy, vagabondage and witchcraft.

Question 2

Why did this change? Give three reasons.

Answer 2

1. The religious uncertainty of the Reformation had passed - the last execution for heresy was in 1612.2. Wealth increased from 1700-1900. Therefore, fear of vagabondage decreased greatly.3. Most educated people, usually the ones responsible for judging cases of witchcraft, became less likely to believe these accusations.

Question 3

What happened in 1736?

Answer 3

The witchcraft laws were finally repealed.

Question 4

Which TYPES of crime became more of a worry to the authorities in the 18th and 19th centuries?

Answer 4

Crimes that threatened trade (such as highway robbery and smuggling), the interests of landowners (such as poaching) and the interests of employers (even such as joining trade unions.

Question 5

Was highway robbery a new crime?

Answer 5

No, it started during the chaos of the Civil War (1642-49).

Question 6

Was it really a big problem?

Answer 6

Yes! By the 1700s, it had become infamous and reached epidemic proportions in some areas.

Question 7

Where were the worst-affected areas?

Answer 7

Around London on the main routes into the capital.

Question 8

Were these highwaymen gentlemen or brutal robbers?

Answer 8

They were ruthless and would think nothing of killing or maiming their victims to avoid being identified.

Question 9

What factors explain the growth of highway robbery?

Answer 9

Some factors include:More people travelling in their own coachesHandguns were easier to obtainDemobilised soldiers struggled to make an honest livingHorses became cheaper to buy - making it easier for robbers to ambush victims and then make quick getawaysNo police force and local constables didn’t track criminals across county linesHighwaymen could hide and sell their stolen loot in tavernsBad roads meant coaches had to slow down

Question 10

What factors explain the rapid decline in highway robbery?

Answer 10

Better roads meant quicker and more frequent coachesMounted patrols were set up around London and high rewards given for information about highwaymenJPs refused to license taverns used by highwaymenImprovements in banking meant fewer people carried large amounts of money

Question 11

Why is poaching regarded by many historians as a ‘social crime’?

Answer 11

These are crimes that many people do not really regard as a crime. Poaching was against the law but widely tolerated because many people thought the law was unfair.

Question 12

Define the 1723 Black Act.

Answer 12

This showed how seriously the authorities saw poaching: it made the hunting of deer, hare or rabbits a capital crime. Anyone found armed, disguised or with a blackened face was assumed to be poaching and could be executed.

Question 13

Who was and was not allowed to hunt legally?

Answer 13

Only landowners whose land was worth £100 a year could hunt - and they could hunt anywhere. Landowners with land worth less than £100 a year and their tenants could not hunt - even on their own land.

Question 14

What was the punishment for possessing dogs or snares?

Answer 14

£5 fine or three months in prison.

Question 15

Why did people poach?

Answer 15

Usually just to supplement their diet with an occasional rabbit or to sell a pheasant to earn a small amount of money.A minority poached for fun or sport.

Question 16

Who were the poachers?

Answer 16

Poor people (most people were poor!) such as: labourers, weavers, colliers, servants or low-paid workers.

Question 17

What effect did the harsh laws and use of gamekeepers have?

Answer 17

Some poachers became violent. For example - in 1786 a Staffordshire farm labourer horsewhipped a gamekeeper who tried to take his hare.Also, villagers frequently gave alibis to protect poachers from conviction.

Question 18

Was poaching financially rewarding?

Answer 18

It could be (although most people only poached in small amounts). For example, John Lightwood, who killed almost 80 hares in 1764 before selling them for 3 shillings a piece - more than he could possibly earn in his day job.

Question 19

How did the black market affect the scale of poaching?

Answer 19

Organised gangs started to make larger amounts of money targeting the estates of wealthy people and catching large amounts of deer and wild game (e.g. pheasants) to sell in the large towns and cities.

Question 20

Why was smuggling a crime?

Answer 20

Because smugglers were bringing goods such as tea, cloth, wine and spirits into the country without paying import tax. At a time when there was no income tax, this meant the authorities took smuggling very seriously.

Question 21

What happened in 1748?

Answer 21

The Duke of Richmond was asked to smash the smuggling gangs. 35 smugglers were hanged and a further 10 dies in gaol.

Question 22

Did the Duke of Richmond’s actions ‘smash’ smuggling?

Answer 22

No. There were around 20,000 active smugglers - so it hardly had any impact.

Question 23

What criteria could you use to explain why smuggling increased or continued to flourish?

Answer 23

1. Fear of smugglers2. The attraction of smuggling3. Organised gangs4. Public attitudes

Question 24

How widespread was smuggling and how many smugglers were there?

Answer 24

Very widespread - but concentraqted around the coast. In 1748, 103 people were officially ‘wanted’ as smugglers - but there were probably closer to 20,000.

Question 25

Who were the smugglers?

Answer 25

Over 70 percent were labourers. Fewer than 10 percent were small landowners. The rest were tradesmen, such as butchers and carpenters.

Question 26

Why did people smuggle?

Answer 26

For low-paid labourers, smuggling was a quick and exciting way to earn 6 or 7 times the daily wage in one night. In some areas, such as Sussex, where traditional industries such as cloth-making and fishing weer in decline, smuggling offered an alternative living.

Question 27

What was the public attitude to smuggling?

Answer 27

Ordinary people usually turned a blind eye to it. They were happy to pay lower prices for goods and disliked the expensive duties (tax) imposed by the government.

Question 28

Could locals profit from helping the smugglers?

Answer 28

Yes, they could earn 2 times the daily wage just by helping to carry goods from ship to shore.

Question 29

Describe a smuggling gang.

Answer 29

They could be 50 to 100 men strong. They were well armed and had little fear of the customs officers or the army.

Question 30

What evidence suggests the scale of the problem?

Answer 30

For example, it was estimated that 3 million pounds weight of tea was smuggled into Britain each year.

Question 31

Why couldn’t the government do much about smuggling?

Answer 31

Apart from the sheer scale of the problem and the fact that most people turned a blind eye to it - or participated in it - the government had very few customs officers and could not afford to hire more.

Question 32

When was the French Revolution and why does this matter?

Answer 32

in 1789 - it matters because the authorities in Britain became terrified of the same thing happening here.

Question 33

What was the GNCTU?

Answer 33

The Grand National Consolidated Trades Union, which aimed to bring all workers together to fight for better conditions.

Question 34

Was it illegal to belong to a union?

Answer 34

No, but employers disliked the idea of working people cooperating together.