Changing definitions of crime c1700-1900.

Question 1

Which crimes still continued?

Answer 1

Smuggling- bring goods into the country without paying duties. Continued as a crime. Seen as a social crime.
Highway robbery- threatening or attacking travellers and forcing them to hand over valuables.
Poaching- continued to be a widespread crime.
Witchcraft- still punished.

Question 2

Smuggling (change/continuity)

Answer 2

Continuity- bring goods into the country without paying duties. Continued as a crime. Seen as a social crime.
Change- Growth of large smuggler gangs. Support for smugglers made them difficult to catch. Some people argue its a crime the gov introduced due to import duties. Became less common as it was less profitable.

Question 3

Highway robbery (change/continuity)

Answer 3

Continuity- Highway robbery- threatening or attacking travellers and forcing them to hand over valuables.
Change- Increased due to more goods and money that moved around with more trade.
-Countryside much less populated.
- Roads improved, more people travelled.
-1772 death penalty was introduced.
- Continued but less common after 1815.

Question 4

Poaching (change/continuity)

Answer 4

Continuity- A widespread crime.
Change- Rise in gangs.
-Harsher anti-poaching laws including fines and prison sentences.
-Poaching eventually had the death penalty removed (1823) but still illegal.

Question 5

Witchcraft (change/continuity)

Answer 5

Continuity- still punished.
Change- Decriminalised as they were seen as tricksters trying to take advantage of others.
- Fines and improvement.

Question 6

Tolpuddle martyrs.

Answer 6

-Threat to authority.
- Arrested with the intent of stopping their political activity.
- Sentenced to 7 years of transportation to Australia.
- Mass protests organised and a petition was handed to parliament with 200,000 signatures about their harsh punishment.
-4 years later released and pardoned by the government.