c1500-1700 Flashcards
What crimes against the person occurred in early modern England?
the increase of street criminals and petty thieves
What crimes against property increased in Early Modern England?
poaching, as more landowners restricted those who could hunt on their land.
What crimes against authority increased in Early Modern England?
heresy and treason
what change in society led to an increase in crimes against person
increase in population and decline of feudalism led to higher unemployment.
this meant more people moved to urban areas in the search of work, so towns and cities grew
what change in society led to an increase in crimes against the property
the end of feudalism and new farming methods led to enclosure of land
what change in society led to an increase in crimes against authority
changes in people’s religious beliefs and the religion of the monarch
what year did Hersey first become a crime in?
1382
why did Hersey first become a crime in 1382?
both the church and monarch felt threatened by different beliefs. it became a crime against authority and was usually punished by burning at the stake
define treason
the crime of plotting or acting to overthrow or harm the ruler or country
define hersey
the crime of having religious beliefs that were different to the official religion of the country
why were treason charges more common in this period?
because there was more disputes about who should rule.
why were heresy charges more common in this period?
because the official religion of the country kept changing from catholic to protestant
Who decided who was guilty or innocent of heresy?
important members of the clergy who were both catholic and protestant played a role in charing people with heresy and also judging wether they were guilty or not.
how did heresy and treason become interlinked?
as monarchs became the head of the church, heresy and treason became interlinked
what is a vagrant?
an unemployed homeless person
name some new crimes in early modern England?
vagabondage
smuggling
witchcraft
what year where the poor laws est.
1601
what year was the vagrancy act est.
1547
what year was the vagabonds and beggars act est.
1597
what year was the act for the relief of the poor est.
1597
describe the vagrancy act 1547
the able-bodied without work for more than three days were branded with the letter V and sold as a slave for two years
this act was repealed as it was impossible to enforce
describe the poor laws of 1601
the deserving poor were given poor relief by the local parish; the undeserving poor could be branded whipped or sent to a correction house
describe the vagabonds and beggars act of 1494
vagabonds were put in stocks for three days and nights. then they were sent back to where they were born or were most well known
describe the act for the relief of the poor 1597
this split vagrants into two categories:
the deserving poor - elderly and disabled
the underserving poor - those who are fit for work
why did the crime of smuggling increase dramatically in the early modern period?
import tax was introduced on goods such as brandy and tea. people wanted to avoid this
what was smuggling?
this is where people bring goods into the country secretly to avoid paying import tax and then sell on it.
what type of crime is smuggling and how did society view it?
. social crime
. people did not view this crime as serious or a threat and this made it very difficult to enforce
why was there an increase in the number of vagrants ?
due to an increase in population falling wages and rising food prices
also there was no system to help the needy especially after the closure of monasteries
what year did the monasteries close?
1536
how did the public treat vagrants and how were they viewed?
. viewed as lazy and responsible for their own problems
. hated and feared by settled population
how was witchcraft viewed in medieval times
it was seen as a minor crime and dealt with by church courts
how was witchcraft dealt with during the early modern period
new laws against witchcraft were passes and this made it a very serious offence because people saw it as harmful and many people were scared of it.
what years were the new laws passed against witchcraft in the early modern period
1542
1563
1604
in 1542 what did Henry VIII change in terms of dealing with witchcraft
he made witchcraft punishable by death
in 1563 how did Elizabeth I change laws that dealt with witchcraft?
charges of witchcraft had to be tried in a common court
in 1604 how did James I change laws to do with witchcraft
instructed the death penalty to be given to people summoning evil spirits
what was an important factor for changes in law enforcement?
the increasing size of the populations of towns
did the role of the church increase or decrease in early modern law enforcement?
decreased
what was a continuity in community methods of law enforcement?
people were expected to raise and join the hue and cry to catch criminals when a crime took place
was there a police force and was crime dealt with effectively nationally?
there was no national police force and the methods and effectiveness of preventing crime and catching criminals varied across the country
describe the role of the watchmen
- carried a lamp to light their way
- rang a bell to alert people
- overseen by a town constable
what times did the watchmen patrol the streets at?
between 10pm and dawn
who was expected to volunteer for the role of the watchman and was this a paid role?
it was an unpaid role
all householders that were male
describe the role of town constables
- employed by authorities in towns
- respected members of society
- helped with town administration
who were town constables in charge of?
in charge of the watchmen in their area
what did town constables have the power to do?
arrest suspects and take them to the justices of peace
what year did church courts stop trying criminals
1576
which crimes did Edward VI make exempt from benefit of the clergy
serious crimes such as murder
which monarch made serious crimes exempt from benefit of the clergy
Edward VI
what types of crimes could church courts try?
moral ones
where was everyone now tried?
so everyone including clerics were tried in secular courts
but did benefit of the clergy still exist at all?
people could still claim benefit of the clergy and receive more lenient sentences than others
who abolished sanctuary and what year was this?
in 1623, James I
How did Henry VIII change sanctuary?
stopped exile abroad for those claiming sanctuary. instead they had to keep to designated sanctuary’s in England
what years did the witch-hunts take place in?
1645 to 1647
what was used for evidence of witchcraft?
. unusual marks on ones body
. witness accounts
. when thrown in water floats
. confessions
. possessed children acting as accusers
. if two proven witches swear the accused is a witch
what influential book was written about witchcraft and who was it written by
James I
‘Demonologie’
what was demonologie about?
outlines James I’s belief in witches and how they should be found and tried
he was very superstitious and encouraged witch hunts
his ideas will still around long after his death in 1625
give some reasons for the intensity of the 1645-47 witch-hunts
. social changes
. lack of authority
. economic issues
. religious change
. influence of individuals
Explain economic problems in terms of the reasons for the intensity of the witch-hunts
the civil war and poor harvests caused huge economic problems, people looked for scapegoats
Explain social changes in terms of the reasons for the intensity of the witch-hunts
the war left many women widowed or on their own as their husbands went to fight. also there was more strangers around as people travelled with the armies or searches for work
Explain lack of authority in terms of the reasons for the intensity of the witch-hunts
civil war weakened the control of local authorities. in some areas law and order collapsed completely
Explain religious change in terms of the reasons for the intensity of the witch-hunts
religious differences were increased by the civil war. many puritans on the side of parliament believed that witchcraft was being used by royalists, some of whom were catholic
Explain influence of individuals in terms of the reasons for the intensity of the witch-hunts
since 1603, James I had promoted witch-hunting. people like Mathew Hopkins stirred up fears of witches through their writings, as well as actually taking part in witch hunts themselves
who was Matthew Hopkins employed by?
Employed by a JP to find witches in Essex and East Anglia
What did Matthew Hopkins help to do?
To stir up mass panic and fear of witches during the years 1645-47 through his prosecutions and pamphlets
What did Hopkins do to get confessions?
he used torture to extract confessions which often included the names of other witches for him to investigate
what did Hopkins get each time he prosecuted a witch
he received money for each person prosecuted being a witch
what were the mathematically estimations of Hopkins work?
it is estimated that his work led to around 300 people being investigated for witchcraft, with 112 of these hanged
what were witch hunts?
when people actively tried to discover witches
what did the witch hunts occur during?
the English civil war (1642-51) which was a period of great upheaval
where did most of the witch hunts takes place
they were concentrated particularly in the east of England
what was the male to female ratio during the witch hunts
hundreds of women and a few men, mostly clergymen were investigated
how were convicted witches punished
they were executed, usually by hanging
what were the most common forms of punishment in the early modern period?
capital and corporal
what were the main purposes of punishments at the time?
deterrence and retribution
name some continued punishments?
. hanging
. burning
. fines
. pillory or stocks, flogging or maiming
what did fines continue to punish?
minor crimes
what was burning used to punish?
heresy
what was capital punishment used to punish
crimes such as theft, murder, poaching, witchcraft and smuggling
name two changes to punishment in early modern England
The Bloody Code
transportation to North America
