Crime and Punishment in 18th and 19th century Britain Flashcards
Which crimes were most feared by the authorities in the period 1500-1700?
heresy, vagabondage and witchcraft.
Why did these old crimes of heresy, vagabondage and witchcraft change? Give three reasons.
- The religious uncertainty of the Reformation had passed - the last execution for heresy was in 1612.
- Wealth increased from 1700-1900. Therefore, fear of vagabondage decreased greatly.
- Most educated people, usually the ones responsible for judging cases of witchcraft, became less likely to believe these accusations.
What happened in 1736?
The witchcraft laws were finally repealed.
Which TYPES of crime became more of a worry to the authorities in the 18th and 19th centuries?
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.
Was highway robbery a new crime?
No, it started during the chaos of the Civil War (1642-49).
Was it really a big problem?
Yes! By the 1700s, it had become infamous and reached epidemic proportions in some areas.
Where were the worst-affected areas?
Around London on the main routes into the capital.
Were these highwaymen gentlemen or brutal robbers?
They were ruthless and would think nothing of killing or maiming their victims to avoid being identified.
What factors explain the growth of highway robbery?
Some factors include:
More people travelling in their own coaches
Handguns were easier to obtain
Demobilised soldiers struggled to make an honest living
Horses became cheaper to buy - making it easier for robbers to ambush victims and then make quick getaways
No police force and local constables didn’t track criminals across county lines
Highwaymen could hide and sell their stolen loot in taverns
Bad roads meant coaches had to slow down
What factors explain the rapid decline in highway robbery?
Better roads meant quicker and more frequent coaches
Mounted patrols were set up around London and high rewards given for information about highwaymen
JPs refused to license taverns used by highwaymen
Improvements in banking meant fewer people carried large amounts of money
Why is poaching regarded by many historians as a ‘social crime’?
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.
Define the 1723 Black Act.
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.
Who was and was not allowed to hunt legally?
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.
What was the punishment for possessing dogs or snares?
£5 fine or three months in prison.
Why did people poach?
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.
Who were the poachers?
Poor people (most people were poor!) such as: labourers, weavers, colliers, servants or low-paid workers.
What effect did the harsh laws and use of gamekeepers have?
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.
Was poaching financially rewarding?
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.
How did the black market affect the scale of poaching?
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.
Why was smuggling a crime?
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.
What happened in 1748?
The Duke of Richmond was asked to smash the smuggling gangs. 35 smugglers were hanged and a further 10 dies in gaol.
Did the Duke of Richmond’s actions ‘smash’ smuggling?
No. There were around 20,000 active smugglers - so it hardly had any impact.
What criteria could you use to explain why smuggling increased or continued to flourish?
- Fear of smugglers
- The attraction of smuggling
- Organised gangs
- Public attitudes
How widespread was smuggling and how many smugglers were there?
Very widespread - but concentraqted around the coast. In 1748, 103 people were officially ‘wanted’ as smugglers - but there were probably closer to 20,000.
Who were the smugglers?
Over 70 percent were labourers. Fewer than 10 percent were small landowners. The rest were tradesmen, such as butchers and carpenters.
Why did people smuggle?
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.
What was the public attitude to smuggling?
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.
Could locals profit from helping the smugglers?
Yes, they could earn 2 times the daily wage just by helping to carry goods from ship to shore.
Describe a smuggling gang.
They could be 50 to 100 men strong. They were well armed and had little fear of the customs officers or the army.
What evidence suggests the scale of the problem?
For example, it was estimated that 3 million pounds weight of tea was smuggled into Britain each year.
Why couldn’t the government do much about smuggling?
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.
When was the French Revolution and why does this matter?
in 1789 - it matters because the authorities in Britain became terrified of the same thing happening here.
What were the authorities on the lookout for during the build up to the Tolpuddle Martyrs?
Any signs of conspiracy and for groups whose ideas they considered suspect.
Why was life so hard for farm labourers in the Dorset village of Tolpuddle?
Because they had their weekly wage cut several times. When they asked for an increase, they were refused and then their wages were cut again!
Who led the farm labourers in asking for a wage increase?
A man called George Loveless.
In 1833, after they had been refused a wage increase, what did the labourers of Tolpuddle do?
They set up a union - the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers.
How did the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers (FSAL) admit into the union?
Each new member had to wear a blindfold and swear an oath of secrecy and support for the union.
