Early Modern 1500-1700

Question 1

What were the three main crimes that came about in the Early Modern period?

Answer 1

Vagrancy

Smuggling

Witchcraft

Question 2

Which punishments were used during this period?

Answer 2

Continuity:
Pillory, the Stocks, ducking stools, flogging

Change:
Bridewell (a house of correction where people were whipped and sent to work), the Bloody Code

Question 3

What were the four positions of law enforcement during this period?

Answer 3

Night Watchmen

Town Constable

Thief takers

Justices of the Peace

Question 4

Facts about night watchmen?

Answer 4

1. Patrol between 10pm - dawn
2. Unpaid - volunteers who had to earn a living during the day
3. All male householders expected to serve as night watchmen (part of local duty)

Question 5

Facts about town constables?

Answer 5

Has some power to arrest suspects

Expected to turn in serious criminals to the courts

Expected to stop suspected criminals, break up fights and round up beggars

Question 6

Facts about thief takers?

Answer 6

Paid a reward for catching a criminal

Also paid to deliver criminals to the law

Open to corruption - criminal gangs could act as thief takers to report on enemy gangs

Question 7

Changes in Society and impact

Answer 7

Increase in Population - Lead to theft
Enclosure of Land - Poaching
Change of Monarch - Heresy And Treason

Question 8

Why did England change from catholic to protestant under Henry VIII

Answer 8

Henry wanted to divorce his first wife Catherine of Aragon but the Pope refused to allow this to happen.
In response, Henry created the Church of England.
This meant that England converted to Protestantism and he was allowed to marry Anne Boleyn.

Question 9

When was the Reformation in England?

Answer 9

1534

Question 10

Continuities in Law Enforcement During the Early Modern Period

Answer 10

Hue And Cry
Constables
Church Courts however benefit of clergy was ended
Trial by Jury

Question 11

Changes in Law Enforcement

Answer 11

Town Watchmen
JPs
The Army

Question 12

What was a Night Watchmen

Answer 12

Town Watchmen were introduced to patrol the streets.
They patrolled during the day and the night and their role included the arrest and detention of vagabonds and drunks.
In reality, they were not particularly effective as they were poorly paid.
The role attracted people desperate for a job and as a result, those employed were often drunk on the job and faced ridicule.

Question 13

What were JPs

Answer 13

Justices of the Peace (JPs) became an important method of law enforcement during this period.
It was usually local wealthy people that took the position as it offered prestige.
The role enabled them to pass sentence on others, issuing fines, ordered people to be whipped or send them to the stocks and pillory.

Question 14

Continuity in Punishment During the Early Modern Period

Answer 14

Stocks and pillory
Whipping
Prison
Treason

Question 15

Changes in Punishments

Answer 15

Houses of Correction
Transportation
Bloody Code

Question 16

What was the House of Correction

Answer 16

Houses of Correction were a new method of punishment from the 1500s which were designed to punish and reform criminals.
The accused were forced to do hard labour and sometimes they were whipped.
The idea was that they would learn the error of their ways.

Question 17

What was Transportation

Answer 17

Transportation began in the 1660s. Convicts were initially taken to Australia.
They were transported on large wooden ships known as Hulks.
Once in Australia convicts often led lives in conditions similar to slavery, although this punishment was considered to be a soft option in comparison to the Death Penalty.

Question 18

What was the Bloody Code

Answer 18

The Bloody Code was introduced in 1688 when the number of crimes punishable by death increased to 50.
Minor crimes such as poaching, cutting down live trees or going out at night with a blackened face were given the punishment of execution.
By 1765, the figure had increased to 160 crimes.
By 1815, 225 crimes were punishable by death.

Question 19

What impact did the rising population have on crime levels in England?

Answer 19

There were fewer jobs available so people ended up traveling to find work. This led to increasing concerns about tramps, beggars and those traveling to find work.
Thus, the impact of the growing population was more that it created fears about vagabondage and crime than that there was a real increase in crime rates.
The anxiety around crime in this period was linked to wider feelings of financial and social insecurity. During times of poor harvests punishments often became more serious.

Question 20

When did Henry VIII become the King of England?

Answer 20

1509

Question 21

Why did Henry change England from Catholic to Protestant

Answer 21

Henry wanted to divorce his first wife Catherine of Aragon but the Pope didn’t allow it, so Henry created the Church of England. England then converted to Protestantism and he married Anne Boleyn.

Question 22

What did Change from Catholic to Protestant lead to

Answer 22

England swayed between Catholicism and Protestantism resulting in chaos and confusion. This saw many being accused of being ‘in league’ with the Devil and belief in the supernatural become more popular.

Question 23

What effect did the media have on crime

Answer 23

The printing press was a creation which became a powerful tool during this period. Pamphlets were created and spread among the population, containing pictures and information. The favourite topic was crime, especially witchcraft and vagabondage. The media fuelled fear of crime by spreading ideas about the severity of crime.

Question 24

What crime did the rise in population create, Vagabondage

Answer 24

Vagabondage - Rising population meant that there were fewer jobs, people ended up travelling to find work. This led to increasing fears about beggars and those travelling to look for work. As a result, the new crime of vagabondage became feared in this period. Attitudes towards this crime depended upon the situation in society at the time. During times of poor harvests punishments often became more serious.

Question 25

What was the impact of reformation on Heresy

Answer 25

The change in religion fuelled a period of uncertainty as successive Monarchs changed the religion again.

Question 26

How were the poor assisted

Answer 26

The local unemployed people were assisted financially by the town or village where they lived, thanks to the Poor Rates.
However, residents were not happy to provide assistance to outsiders.

Question 27

What is Smuggling

Answer 27

When import tax was introduced on certain goods such as Tea and Brandy smuggling increased dramatically, Smuggling is where people bring goods into the country and sell it on to avoid import tax It was usually organised by gangs who were funded by investors or ventures. They chose secluded parts of the coastline to land cargos from ships. There were many suitable areas along the south coast of England and west Wales, including small coves and river estuaries. In 1784 the Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, suggested that of the 13 million pounds (weight) of tea consumed in Britain, only 5.5 million had been brought in legally. Like poaching it was a social crime, thus many people didn’t view it as serious or a threat, making it difficult to enforce. Smugglers were often executed as a deterrent to others. However, as so few were caught it did not stop the problem of smuggling. When the Government reduced tax on tea and other goods in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, smuggling declined as it was no longer so profitable.

Question 28

Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494

Answer 28

Vagabonds were put into stocks for three nights and days, then sent back to where they were born or well known.

Question 29

Vagrancy Act 1547

Answer 29

The able bodied without work for more than 3 days were branded with the letter ‘v’ and sold as a slave for two years

Question 30

Poor Laws 1601

Answer 30

The deserving poor were given poor relief by the local parish; the undeserving could be whipped or sent to a correction house.

Question 31

Give 3 reasons Vagrancy had become a Crime

Answer 31

• Vagrants were commonly viewed as lazy and responsible for their own misfortune
• Some vagrants did turn to theft - many people thought all Vagrants were criminals and feared them
• The big increase in Vagrants was seen as threatening by ‘‘settled people’’
• People resented having to pay to support Vagrants.

Question 32

List three ways communities were responsible for enforcing law in Early Modern England

Answer 32

• Local people were expected to raise a Hue and Cry and join in to catch criminals when a crime took place
• Witnesses to a crime were expected to stop it and report it to a JP
• Householders in the area were all expected to serve as night constables, who patrolled late at night
• Local people appointed a local person as the constable.

Question 33

The Bloody Code

Answer 33

Code: The period where many crimes were punishable by death (even stealing a rabbit or cutting down trees!) - the number of crimes punishable by death between 1688 and 1823 rose from 50 to 200. The aim was to threaten people so they would not commit crime. Attitudes of wealthy men who made the law were unsympathetic. They felt that people who committed crimes were sinful, lazy or greedy and deserved little mercy. As the rich made the laws they made laws that protected their interests. Any act which threatened their wealth, property or sense of law and order was criminalised and made punishable by death.

Question 34

Law Enforcement in Early Modern England

Answer 34

Continuity and Change in Crime
People were still expected to do the Hue and Cry
There was no police force and methods of law enforcement varied across the country
However, there were some changes to role of town constables and watchmen to try and deal with increased urban crime,

Question 35

Changes in the role of the church

Answer 35

The early modern period saw the justice system become far more secular as the church became less important in society.
Benefit of the Clergy: Henry VII allowed non-clergy ‘’benefit of the clergy’’ once the people were branded to show they had received such a privilege. Edward VI made serious crimes, such as Murder exempt from benefit of the clergy. From 1576 Church Courts could not try criminal acts only moral ones, so everyone including Clerics, were tried in secular courts. People could still claim and receive more lenient sentences than others however.
Sanctuary: Henry VII stopped exile abroad for those claiming sanctuary. Instead they had to keep designated sanctuaries in England. In 1623, James I abolished sanctuaries altogether,

Question 36

Watchmen

Answer 36

Carried a lamp to light their way, rang a bell to alert people, All Male Householders were expected to volunteer and the role was unpaid, Patrolled the streets between 10pm – Dawn, Overseen by town constable

Question 37

Town Constables

Answer 37

Employed by authorities in towns, Respected Members of the community, Had the power to arrest suspects and take them to JP’s, In charge of Watchmen in the Area helped with Town Administration

Question 38

Transportation to North America

Answer 38

Transporting criminals to colonies in North America, where they did manual work, criminals were sentenced to either seven or 14 years and then released but most could not afford to return to England. Between 50,000 and 80,000 men, children, women were transported to America because

• It reflected new ideas on the aims of punishment – transportation was still a serious punishment, but gave criminals
• It provided an alternative to execution for petty crime which some began to think was a bit too harsh, especially after the bloody code began and prisons were not established.
• It provided inhabitants and workers to establish American colonies whilst removing criminals from England.

Question 39

Changing in Nature of the crime of Witchcraft

Answer 39

Religion and the Church were a significant part of peoples’ lives in Britain in the 16th century and it influenced the attitudes and definitions on witchcraft as it was viewed as the
struggle between good and evil – God and the devil. People of all background believed in witchcraft. Witches were believed to have made a pact/agreement with the devil in
return for special and magical powers e.g. flying, making people or animals sick or die.

During the late 16th century there were economic problems such as falling wages and rising unemployment which increased tension between people in small communities.
Combined with the death of livestock or poor harvests the blame was put on evil spirits or witchcraft rather than bad luck or the weather.

King James I wrote a book called Demonologie, published in 1597, describing hell and explaining his reasons for believing in witchcraft. He encourage readers to find them and
gave instructions on how to run witch trials. When he became king he published another edition of his book which included his belief that witches tried to drown him and his wife
on a sea voyage. Also the influence of the Gunpowder Plot made James even more fearful and obsessed with uncovering threats to him, including witchcraft.

The English Civil War caused major disruption and uncertainty in England as the country was divided between the King and Parliament. This created a climate of fear and caused more people to believe in superstitious ideas.

In 1644, Matthew Hopkins, who styled himself as the Witchfinder General, began the task of hunting down witches in the east of England. He used a range of interrogation
methods to secure confessions of witches and their crimes e.g. starvation and depriving them of sleep. These witch hunts were the most widespread of the mass executions of witches and fed a mass panic about witches. It was made worse by the disruption and uncertainty left by the English Civil War.

Hopkins and his assistant John Stearne’s activities in the east of England is estimated to have resulted in 300 individual being investigated for witchcraft and 112 of these were executed.

The treatment of women in society also helps to explain why the majority of accusations were towards women rather than men. 90% of accusations were made against females.
The role of women in society was very restricted and were viewed as the property of her father or after marriage her husband. Any women who did not meet with these
expectations were treated with suspicion. Majority of the women accused were ‘wise women’ who helped people in community with health, wellbeing as well as pregnancy and
childbirth. Poor people could not see doctors so they turned to these women. Other women were simply vulnerable, as they were widowed, had never married or were less well-off.

An estimated 1000 people were executed for witchcraft between 1542-1736 and the most common form of execution for witches was hanging.

By the 1700s attitudes towards witchcraft had started to change as they were beginning to be viewed as foolish or tricksters trying to take advantage of the gullibility of others.
Also the advancement of modern scientific theories caused a higher standard of evidence to be required in a trial rather than superstitious ideas.

Question 40

Gunpowder Plot

Answer 40

The arrival of King James I of England (James VI of
Scotland) became King of England in 1603, following
the death Elizabeth I, introduced a new threat to the
monarch. James was a protestant, like Elizabeth, and
many Catholics believed that his arrival would lead to
more lenient laws for them in England. James was
married to a catholic but it became clear that he was
prepared to bring in more Anti-Catholic laws and
restrict their religious freedom.

A group of Catholics led by Robert Catesby were
recruited to join a conspiracy to set off an explosion
that would kill the king and the leading protestants in
society at the state opening of Parliament on the 5th
November 1605. These gunpowder plotters including
Thomas Percy (A royal bodyguard), Thomas Winton
(Catesby’s cousin) and of course Guy Fawkes. The plan
was to break up the Protestant control over the
country and replace James with his daughter Elizabeth
who the Catholics could influence and control.

The plotters rented a cellar underneath Parliament to
store an estimated 36 barrels holding one ton of
gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was chosen to ignite the load
and blow the king and Parliament up.

Lord Monteagle received a letter informing him not to
attend the opening of Parliament, he told Robert Cecil,
the king’s spy master, who ordered Westminster
should be search. There were two raids and on the
second the gunpowder and Guy Fawkes were
discovered.

Guy Fawkes was arrested and questioned through the
means tortured for 12 days until he confessed his role
in the plot as well as his fellow conspirators.

He was found guilt as well as his other conspirators
and was sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered.
Due to the amount of torture he had experienced Guy
Fawkes was killed instantaneously from the hanging.

Question 41

Thief Takers

Answer 41

Some victims of crime resorted to using thief takers as town constables and night watchmen were not very effective. The thief taker was paid a reward for catching a criminal and delivering them to the law. However, some were already criminals and informed on rival criminals to make money. An example of this is Jonathan Wild who secretly led a gang of thieves who claimed rewards when they handed in goods they had stolen. He was found out and executed in 1725.

Question 42

Why was Witchcraft punished more severely by the authorities in the late 16th Century?

Answer 42

1. Changes in the law. During the Middle ages, witchcraft was a crime tried in church courts. In 1542, Henry VIII made witchcraft a criminal offence to be tried in ordinary courts. In 1563 Elizabeth I passed a new law that stated if a witch tried to kill someone they would receive the death penalty. In 1604 James I passed a law giving the death penalty for anyone summoning evil spirits.
2. Economic problems in the late 16th Century meant falling wages and high unemployment. This increased tension and meant that the death of livestock or failure of crops was blamed on Witchcraft.
3. The rising fear of Vagabonds meant the rich were far more likely to accuse the poor of Witchcraft.
4. James I’s Demonologie: James I was an enthusiastic witch hunter and shared his thoughts in a book called Demonologie. When he became King he encouraged further Witch-hunts and his ideas had an influence on a wide audience.
5. The English Civil Wars: The wars began in 1642 and caused a great deal of social upheaval, disruption and uncertainty. The wars created a climate of fear in which people were attracted to superstitious ideas such as witchcraft.
6. Attitudes to Women – Women were expected to focus on domestic duties in the 17th Century and were the property of their father or husband. If they did not follow this stereotype then they could be suspected. Many of the women accused were ‘cunning’ or ‘wise women’ who were suspected of witchcraft as the community believed they had the power to heal. Many older women were vulnerable to accusations as they were poor and not married.
7. Religion - Human existence was seen as a struggle between good and evil – God and the Devil. Superstition led to many believing that witches were doing the devil’s work on earth.

Question 43

The decline in accusations of witchcraft:

Answer 43

Matthew Hopkins died of tuberculosis in 1647 and in the second half of the 17th century many started to consider the idea of witches as foolish and muddled or believed accusers like Hopkins were tricksters trying to take advantage of people’s gullibility. During the Enlightenment years of the 17th and 18th centuries, thinkers and academics started to ask for more scientific evidence and reason behind ideas. The Royal Society was established in 1660 and brought thinkers and Scientists together from a wide range of Scientific fields.

Question 44

Outline the purposes of Punishment for crimes during the Early Modern Period

Answer 44

Retribution
Deterrence
Remove Criminals from Society
Humiliation
Rehabilitation - Giving Criminals a chance to repent and change their ways - in the case of transportation

Question 45

Reasons for the intensity of witch hunts 1645-47

Answer 45

Economic Problems: The civil war and poor harvests caused economic problems whilst people looked for scapegoats.
Social Changes: The war left many women widowed or on their husbands went away to flight. Also, there were more strangers around as people travelled with the armies searching for work.
Lack of Authority: Civil War weakened the control of local authorities. In some areas law and order collapsed completely.
Religious change: Was increased by the civil war. Many Puritans on the side of parliament believed that witchcraft was being used by royalist, some of whom were catholic.
Influence of Individuals: Since 1603, James I had promoted witch-hunting. People like Hopkins stirred up fear of witches through their writings, as well as taking part in witch-hunts themselves.

Question 46

Matthew Hopkins

Answer 46

Hopkins was employed by a JP to find witches in Essex and East Anglia
He received money for each person prosecuted for being a witch. It’s estimated that his work led to around 300 people being investigated for witchcraft, with 112 of these hanged.
He used torture to extract confessions, which often included the names of other witches for him to investigate.
He helped stir up mass panic and fear of witches during the years 1645-47 through his prosecutions and pamphlets

Question 47

Evidence of Witchcraft

Answer 47

1. Unusual marks on the body of the person accused
2. Witness Accounts
3. When prickled with a needle the accused did not bleed.
4. When thrown in water the accused floats
5. Confessions from the Accused
6. If two proven witches swear the accused is a witch
7. Possessed children acting as accusers

Question 48

How many plotters were there in the Gunpowder Plot

Answer 48

13

Question 49

How many barrels of Gunpowder did Guy Fawkes fill under the house of parliament

Answer 49

36

Question 50

How were the plotters punished

Answer 50

The plotters were hanged, drawn and quartered, the punishment for Treason.

Question 51

When did James I become King of England?

Answer 51

1603

Question 52

How many witches did Hopkins identify in East Anglia between 1645 and 1647?

Answer 52

36

Question 53

Which region did Hopkins search for witches between 1645 and 1647?

Answer 53

East Anglia

Question 54

In what year was the gunpowder plot discovered?

Answer 54

1605

Question 55

Who devised the plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament?

Answer 55

Robert Catesby

Question 56

Which member of parliament received an anonymous letter warning him not to attend the state opening of parliament?

Answer 56

Lord Monteagle

Question 57

In which area of England did Matthew Hopkins focus his search for witches?

Answer 57

East Anglia

Question 58

What were James I’s religious beliefs and policies?

Answer 58

James I wanted to create religious unity across all of the kingdoms that he ruled - England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. As such, he cracked down on religious extremism within all of his kingdoms.