Early Modern: 1500 - 1700

Question 1

What is the link between crime and population growth in Early Modern?

Changes in society

Answer 1

As trade started to grow, there was an increase in the population and number of towns. Due to this, it was harder for some to find work. Busy towns made it easier to commit crimes against the person such as petty theft because they were less likely to get caught.

Question 2

What was enclosure?

Changes in society

Answer 2

When open land and farm became privatised all over England.

Question 3

What was the act that made it illegal to take food from enclosed land?

Answer 3

The 1671 Game Act.

Many poor people resorted to crimes against property such as poaching because they were unable to provide their families with food.

Question 4

Name a change that the Church underwent.

Answer 4

In 1534, Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church and declared himself the Head of England.

Question 5

How was heresy and treason punished?

Answer 5

Heresy: burnt at the stake
Treason: hung, drawn and quartered

Question 6

What did Henry VIII do from 1509 - 1547?

Answer 6

• He executed Protestants for Heresy (since he remained a Catholic)
• He executed Catholics for treason since they wouldn’t take the Oath of Supremacy which recognised him as the Head of Church of England.

Question 7

What did Edward VI do?

Answer 7

Executed to Catholics for Heresy.

Question 8

What did Mary I (Catholic) do?

Answer 8

Killed almost 300 Protestants.

Question 9

Under the Tudors was there an increase or a decrease in charges of treason and heresy?

Answer 9

Increase.

Question 10

What 3 new crimes were introduced in the Early Modern period?

Answer 10

1) Vagabondage
2) Smuggling
3) Witchcraft

Question 11

What was vagabondage/vagrancy?

Answer 11

Someone who is homeless and unemployed.

Question 12

Why were vagrants resented?

Answer 12

• They lied and stole
• Viewed as lazy and responsible for their own problems

Question 13

Why did the number of vagrants increase to 30,000 in the Tudor period?

Answer 13

1) Growing population and lack of jobs
2) Falling wages and rising food prices
3) Poor harvests

Question 14

Explain what the 1547 Vagrancy Act was.

(repealed after)

Answer 14

If an able-bodied vagabond was without work for more than three days, they were branded with the letter V and sold as a slave for 2 years.

Question 15

What was the 1597 Act for the Relief of the Poor?

Answer 15

Included harsh punishements such as whipping and burning the ear using a hot iron.

Question 16

What were the 1601 Poor Laws?

Answer 16

The elderly and disabled were the ‘deserving poor’ and received funding from the local parish. The ‘undeserving’ would be sent to a correction house/whipped.

Question 17

What influenced these laws to be passed?

Answer 17

1) Attitudes of the people
2) The Church: ‘the Devil makes work for idle hands’

Question 18

What is smuggling?

Answer 18

When people bring goods into the country secretly to avoid paying import taxes.

Question 19

What caused people to smuggle?

Answer 19

In the 17th century, there was an increase in luxury goods such as alcohol, tea and herbs. However, the government put import taxes on these goods.

Question 20

Why was smuggling a social crime?

Answer 20

Because people were happy to buy cheaper goods from smugglers.

Question 21

Why was witchcraft so feared?

Answer 21

• Unrest and tension from changes in religion
• Poor harvests and death of livestock

Question 22

What was the Witchcraft Act?

Answer 22

In 1542, Henry VIII made witchcraft punishable by death.

Question 23

How did the Act change in 1563?

Answer 23

Elizabeth I changed the law so witchcraft had to be tried in common courts rather than lenient Church courts.

Question 24

What was the Witchcraft and Conjuration Act passed by James I?

Answer 24

In 1604, he instructed that the death penalty should be given to people summoning ‘evil spirits’.

Question 25

Give examples of continuity in law enforcement.

Answer 25

1) Locals were still expected to join the Hue and Cry
2) A local posse was still used to catch criminals

Question 26

What happened to benefit of the Clergy?

Answer 26

Edward VI made serious crimes such as murder exempt from benefit of the Clergy. Moreover, from 1576, only moral laws could be tried in Church courts.

Question 27

How did offering sanctuary change?

Answer 27

Henry stopped exile abroad for those claiming sanctuary but in 1623, James I abolished sanctuary as a whole.

Question 28

What 3 positions of law enforcement were used in Early Modern?

Answer 28

1) Watchmen
2) Town Constable
3) Justices of Peace

Question 29

What was the role of watchmen?

Answer 29

Male householders were expected to volunteer for the unpaid work of patrolling the streets from 10 p.m to dawn. They carried a lamp and rang a bell to alert people to go home.

Question 30

What did town constables do?

Answer 30

Were well respected and employed by town authorities. They were in charge of the watchmen and expected to arrest suspects and turn in serious crimes.

Question 31

What did Justices of Peace do?

Answer 31

They took on a greater role in this period by judging manor court cases for crimes (local and minor) that had been committed. They also had the ability to hand out community punishments.

Question 32

What was the act passed that prevented authorities from imprisoning someone without trial?

Answer 32

Habeas Corpus Act in 1679.

Question 33

What was some continuity in types of punishment being used in the Early Modern period?

Answer 33

1) Fines (minor crimes such as gambling)
2) Stocks and pillory, flogging, maiming (swearing and drunkeness)
3) Hanging (treason, smuggling, witchcraft)

Question 34

What was the purpose of punishment in Early Modern England?

Answer 34

• Deterrence
• Humiliation
• Retribution

Question 35

What were two changes made to punishment?

Answer 35

1) Bloody Code
2) Transportation

Question 36

What was the Bloody Code?

Answer 36

In the 17th century, the number of crimes punishable by death increased dramatically to frighten people into doing good.

Question 37

Why was the Bloody Code introduced?

Answer 37

• Lack of a police force
• Urbanisation
• Deterrence

Question 38

What is a key date for the Bloody Code?

Answer 38

1688: 50 capital offences such as stealing a rabbit.

Question 39

What is transportation?

Answer 39

The punishment of shipping prisoners to colonies in North America for 7-14 years depending on the crime.

Question 40

How many people were sent to America under James I rule?

Answer 40

Around 50,000-80,000 men, women and children were transported to America to do manual labour until their sentence was over.

Question 41

Why was transportation an effective punishment?

Answer 41

• Helped establish permanant colonies in America
• Rehabilitated and deterred criminals
• Removed unwanted people from society (vagrants too)