crime and punishment 1500-1700

Question 1

what happened in the 16th century?

Answer 1

-Europe was was rocked by religious instability and conflict
-Catholicism was seen as corruption and the protestant church was created

Question 2

what religious changes did Henry Vlll make?

Answer 2

-in 1534 following arguments with catholic church regarding divorce Henry declared himself as head of the CofE
-remained catholic but seized catholic money and land

Question 3

what changed regarding crime and punishment during Henry’s reign?

Answer 3

-protestants executed for heresy
-Catholics executed for treason

Question 4

what religious changes did Edward Vl make?

Answer 4

-brought up a protestant
-introduced an English prayer book and allowed priests to marry

Question 5

what changed regarding crime and religion under Edwards reign?

Answer 5

-some catholic bishops were imprisoned in tower of London
-few executed for Heresy

Question 6

What religious changes happened under Mary l reign?

Answer 6

• a strict catholic
  -made pope head of church
  tried to restore the Catholic church

Question 7

what changed regarding religion and crime under Mary’s reign?

Answer 7

-almost 300 were burned at the stake for being heretics and refusing to follow the catholic reign

Question 8

what religious changes happened under Elizabeth l reign?

Answer 8

-tried to find a middle way in religion
-wanted to create a protestant church that wasn’t too challenging to Catholics

Question 9

what laws were passed under Elizabeth l rule?

Answer 9

-The act of Uniformity said everyone had to go to church on Sundays and holy days or pay a fine
-The Act of Supremacy reintroduced oath of supremacy-execution if objected
-1956 Catholic rebellion - many Catholics executed and pope excommunicated

Question 10

what religious changes happened under James l reign?

Answer 10

-he was protestant but lenient towards Catholics

Question 11

what changed regarding religion and crime under James l reign?

Answer 11

-1605 Popish Recusants act forced Catholic to swear loyalty to James and pay fines for not attending church

Question 12

what was vagabondage?

Answer 12

-increased population meant an increase in food prices and a rise in unemployment
-vagabonds were unemployed people

Question 13

what and when was the Vagrancy act?

Answer 13

-1547
-an able bodied vagabond who was unemployed for more than 3 days was branded as a V

Question 14

what were attitudes towards vagabonds?

Answer 14

-seen as lazy

Question 15

what was the 1597 Act for the relief of the poor?

Answer 15

-included harsh punishments to act a deterrent against vagabondage

Question 16

what were the 1601 poor laws?

Answer 16

-made the system for dealing with vagabonds more consistent
-offered poor relief to anyone who wasn’t physically able to work

Question 17

what new crime came about during the years 1500-1700?

Answer 17

-witchcraft
-James 1 book “demonology”
-civil war

Question 18

what was enclosure?

Answer 18

-fenced off for the exclusive use of the landowner

Question 19

what was smuggling?

Answer 19

-importing goods illegally to avoid paying import duties on goods such as alcohol and sugar

Question 20

why was it hard to control smuggling?

Answer 20

-because it meant goods were cheaper so nobody tried to stop it

Question 21

why was there an increase in crime in the years 1500-1700?

Answer 21

-increased wealth
-many came to towns to look for work
-large busy towns made it easier for theft
-growing numbers of businesses

Question 22

what were town constables?

Answer 22

-take turns to patrol streets between 10pm and dawn
-unpaid volunteers who also have to have a daytime job
-ring a bell to warn people to go home or risk being viewed as criminals
-carry a lamp to help them see
-all householders expected to serve as nightwatchmen
-work overseen by town constables

Question 23

who were town constables?

Answer 23

-employed by town authorities
-good standing in the community
-has some powers to arrest suspects without needing a warrant
-help with collecting payments
-expected to stop criminals, break up fights and round up beggars
-expected to turn in serious criminals

Question 24

who were professional thief takers?

Answer 24

-hunted down thieves
- a payed reward for returning goods
-open to corruption,as some thieves became thief takers to get money

Question 25

who was Jonathan Wilde?

Answer 25

-the most infamous thief taker
-he stole goods and then returned them for money
-appeared good at his job so took on the title “Thief Taker General”

Question 26

what were early prisons?

Answer 26

-held petty criminals,vagrants and the drunk and disorderly
-not a punishment but a holding area to await trial

Question 27

what were prison conditions like?

Answer 27

• very poor
  -inmates had to pay for basic necessities or go without
  -women,men and children held together
  -younger prisoners were abused
  -dirty and unhealthy
  no proper sanitation and many died of diseases

Question 28

what was Bridewell prison and when was it made?

Answer 28

-in 1556
-used to punish poor criminals
-housed homeless and orphan children
-inmates were forced to do hard labour (breaking rocks with hand)

Question 29

what was the bloody code?

Answer 29

-50 crimes punishable by death
-created as a strong deterrent
-system was flawed and ineffective as it was seen as too harsh
-many criminals were pardoned
-number of crimes increased overtime to around 200

Question 30

what was transportation to North America?

Answer 30

-criminals were sent away for a period of time as punishment
-sent to English colonies
-served 14 years or 7 years
-no money to return once served their sentence

Question 31

why was transportation favoured by authorities?

Answer 31

-seen as an effective deterrent
-no effective prison system so seen as most suitable punishment
-grew colonies while ridding England of criminals

Question 32

what was rehabilitation?

Answer 32

• help someone to return to normal life and society once they have committed a crime
  -reflect on their crimes

Question 33

how many were transported up to 1770?

Answer 33

-between 50,000-80,000

Question 34

who was Guy Fawkes?

Answer 34

-the most famous gunpowder plotter
-found guilty of treason
-aim was to set off an explosion to kill the king

Question 35

why did they want to kill the king?

Answer 35

-Catholics did not want to be restricted or viewed as criminals

Question 36

how did the gunpowder plot fail?

Answer 36

-a letter was received warning of the plan

Question 37

what were attitudes to witchcraft from 1500-1700?

Answer 37

-seen to be servants of the devil
-believed to have magical
identified by an animal being a sign of being the devils familiar
-towards the end they were seen as as foolish and and tricksters

Question 38

what were attitudes towards witches?

Answer 38

-they were heavily punished
-punishable by death

Question 39

why was witchcraft feared?

Answer 39

-economic issues,death of livestock and rising tensions caused fear and seen as caused by witches
-fear of vagabonds
-James l book
-English civil war

Question 40

who was Matthew Hopkins?

Answer 40

-in 1645 he became witch finder general
-sought physical evidence by starvation and looking for suspicious marks
-full confession included names of other witches

Question 41

what and when were the witch hunts?

Answer 41

-1645-47
-widespread of mass executions for accusations of witchcraft
-Matthew Hopkins created a urge of fear regarding witches and people begun to plain simple things on witches
-over 1000 were executed for witchcraft including hanging

Question 42

why was there a decline in witchcraft accusations?

Answer 42

-the death of Matthew Hopkins in 1647
-17th century enlightenment brought about scientific evidence of the hysteria surrounding witches as fake