C + P 1500-1700 crimes

Question 1

fill in the blanks

Many types of crime continued from medieval England…

…….. continued to be a crime against the person.
………. ……… of food and household items continued to be a crime against property.
………. continued to be a crime against authority.

Answer 1

Many types of crime continued from medieval England.

Murder continued to be a crime against the person.
Petty theft of food and household items continued to be a crime against property.
Treason continued to be a crime against authority.

Question 2

What changes in society took place during this time period?

Answer 2

Population growth and urbanisation

Note:

There was an increase in the population and number of towns during the 16th and 17th centuries as trade started to grow

Question 3

Consequences of increase in population?
Also what worsened these consequences sometimes?

Answer 3

This led to some people finding it harder to get work. They were more likely to commit crimes in order to survive.

People may steal food and household items that they couldn’t afford.

This was especially the case during bad harvests, when food became more expensive. Busy towns made it easier for people to commit petty theft because they were less likely to be seen and caught.

Question 4

fill in the blanks

Early modern England saw an increase in the use of
………… .

Hint: sheep

Answer 4

Early modern England saw an increase in the use of
enclosure.

Question 5

Define…

Enclosures?

Answer 5

The process of reducing the huge number of small landholdings to create larger, more efficient farms.

Question 6

Purpose of enclosures?

Answer 6

Open land and fields were broken down into privately owned fenced fields for sheep and farming. The aim of enclosure was to ensure that the land was fully used, including common land.

Question 7

True or False?
By 1600, most of England had been enclosed.

Answer 7

**False. **
By 1700, most of England had been enclosed.

Extra info:

In some areas, local people tried to resist the enclosures by pulling down new fences and hedges.

Question 8

Who did the enclosures affect the most?

Answer 8

Enclosure affected the poorer people in early modern England as they could not afford to buy the land. Additionally, once it had been enclosed, they were unable to use it to farm and provide their families with food. As people struggled to ensure their families survived, this led to an increase in petty theft, more poaching of rabbits and hares, and more fishing in streams within private enclosures.

Question 9

Details of the 1671 Game Act?

Answer 9

The 1671 Game Act made it illegal to take food from privately owned enclosures. Landowners were suspicious of the poor and saw them as a threat. They wanted laws passed that would ensure the poor could not challenge their position in society.

Question 10

fill in the blanks:

In ….., Henry VIII broke away from the …… ……. and set up the Protestant ……… ….. ……….. with himself as the head. The changes that Henry VIII made were not popular among the English people because most were ……… . This led to …….. and ………..

Answer 10

In 1534, Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church and set up the Protestant Church of England with himself as the head. The changes that Henry VIII made were not popular among the English people because most were Catholics. This led to unrest and confusion.

Extra info:

Following the reign of Henry VIII, there was a period when England switched from being a Protestant country to a Catholic country and back again, depending on who was the monarch. It became a crime to worship in a different church to some of the monarchs. Therefore, if you did not have the same religious beliefs as the monarch, you were committing the crime of heresy.
This was punished by being burned at the stake. The person being executed was tied within bundles of sticks that were set alight.

Question 11

define…

Heresy?

Answer 11

To disagree with, or refuse to follow the religious views of the monarch or the state.

Question 12

Why did the crime of heresy increase?

Answer 12

Heresy increased in early modern England because of the introduction of the Protestant Church during the reign of Henry VIII. As the official religion in England changed from Catholic to Protestant, and back again, the decades following Henry VIII’s reign saw an increase in heresy-related crime.

Question 13

True or false?

Those people who committed heresy were known as heretics and were often decapitated.

Answer 13

Those people who committed heresy were known as heretics and were often burned at the stake.

Question 14

How many Protestants did Mary execute?

Give me the names of two famous martyrs during her time…

Answer 14

Mary I (a Catholic) ordered the execution of nearly 300 Protestants during her reign.
The execution of two Protestant bishops, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, during the reign of Mary I.

Question 15

During this period, the population increased, wages fell, food prices rose and people moved around the country searching for work.
What happened to Vagabondage?

Answer 15

Vagrancy and Vagabondange increased

People in early modern England wanted to help poor people who lived in their community and were known to them. However, they viewed vagrants as suspicious, sinful and potential criminals because they were unfamiliar to the community. Pamphlets listing the different types of vagrants were shared in communities.

Question 16

What happned in 1597 that led to the increase in vagabondage

Give some stats on vagrants in the Tudor period…

Answer 16

There was an increase in vagrants during times of poor harvests and economic hardships. For example, the poor harvest in 1597 caused widespread poverty and suffering.

stats:

The number of vagrants or vagabonds increased to around 30,000 during the Tudor period.

Question 17

Date and details of the “harsher” Vagrancy Act in the 1500s….

Also when was this act repealed?

Answer 17

In 1547 a harsh Vagrancy Act was passed by the government. An able-bodied vagrant - man or woman - who had been out of work for more than three days was branded with the letter ‘V’ and sentenced to two years of slavery if this was their first offence. For their second offence, they were sentenced to slavery for life or execution.

In 1550 this act was repealed because it was deemed too harsh. The government instead used corporal punishment, such as whipping. After being whipped, offenders were returned to their birthplace or place of residence.

Question 18

A further Vagrancy Act was passed in ……. . It stated that vagrants who did not change their ways could have an ear ……. using a hot iron.

Answer 18

A further Vagrancy Act was passed in 1597. It stated that vagrants who did not change their ways could have an ear burned using a hot iron.

Question 19

Outline the 1601 Poor Laws….

A Christmas Carol context!

Answer 19

In 1601, Elizabeth I passed the Poor Law. This distinguished between the ‘undeserving poor’ and the ‘deserving poor’:

The elderly and disabled were now part of the deserving poor and would receive poor relief funding from parish churches.
Vagrants were now part of the undeserving poor. They could be sent to a house of correction, where they would be whipped.

Question 20

When did witchcraft become a criminal offence?

Answer 20

Witchcraft became a criminal offence in 1542.

Henry VIII’s reign

In 1542, during the reign of Henry VIII, a Witchcraft Act was passed. It made witchcraft a criminal offence and punishable by death. It was repealed five years later but then restored in 1563.

Question 21

Reasons for the emergence of witchcraft as a crime….

Answer 21

Religious changes during the reigns of the Tudors led to a period of uncertainty and unrest. There was an increase in accusations of witchcraft as:

Changes in religion alongside economic problems, including poor harvests and rising unemployment, led to distrust and tension among communities.
Poor harvests and deaths of livestock were often blamed on witchcraft rather than poor conditions or bad luck.

Question 22

fill in the blanks….

Smuggling was seen as a ……… ……… because some people were happy to buy ……… goods from smugglers and they did not see smuggling as a crime.

Answer 22

Smuggling was seen as a social crime because some people were happy to buy cheaper goods from smugglers and they did not see smuggling as a crime.

Question 23

Examples of imported goods at the time and may have been smuggled.

Answer 23

As explorers discovered more of the New World, there was an increase in new luxury goods being imported into England, such as alcohol, sugar, tea and herbs and silk.

The government introduced import duties on these goods.