Early Modern Flashcards
Why did crime increase between 1500-1750?
Population growth = higher food prices and unemployment. This led to an increase in crime. The problem was worse in towns were there were more opportunities for crime and it was harder to control.
What’s a vagrant?
Vagrants people with no job or no fixed home
Why were there more vagrants in the 16th Century?
Prices were rising faster than wages = poverty.
Rising population = higher unemployment.
Enclosure = people lost their land.
The closure of the monasteries = loss of help for the poor.
How were vagrants treated?
vagrants were treated harshly; they were whipped in
public, branded through the right ear or with a ‘V’ on the forehead and repeat offenders were hung.
When were the poor laws passed?
From 1653 Poor Laws were passed to give help to the ‘deserving poor’
What are heretics?
Heretics were people who disagreed with the government over their religious ideas. The monarch was head of the church so anyone who challenged religious ideas was seen as a threat to the monarch and was punished harshly e.g. Mary I or ‘Bloody Mary’ had 300 protestants burned.
What did people think about witches?
People believed witches were in league with the devil and blamed them for trivial things like the milk going sour or more serious events e.g. bad harvests and unexplained deaths.
Who were mostly accused as witches?
Most witches were accused by their neighbours and the most vulnerable women were often childless, old-widows living in poverty.
What did the witch finder general do?
Matthew Hopkins, Witchfinder General,
was paid for every witch he found. Detecting witches – Hopkins looked for familiars (pets given by the devil to
perform evil acts) or a distinguishing mark e.g. a wart or hairy chin (the mark of the devil.
How did they test to see if you was a witch or not?
A swimming test was used to prove a woman was a witch. A priest would bless a river or pond, the accused was then thrown in. If she floated she was guilty – the water had rejected her. After 1650 the number of witch-trials declined. This was partly the result of more rational and scientific approaches to the natural world.
How were women treated between 1500-1750?
Women received unequal treatment: if a woman was convicted of murdering her husband it was termed ‘petty treason’ (almost as serious as treason against the monarch) and she was burned at the stake rather than hanged. Women accused of ‘scolding’ (nagging) were sentenced to the ducking stool – sometimes they were accidentally drowned! Women were often the victims of crime but found it hard to get justice; all legal officials were men, and courts considered women to be less
reliable witnesses.
What was high way robbery?
Stopping a coach and robbing the passengers.
Why did high way robbery increase in this era?
There was increased wealth in the C18th. There were no banks so people carried large amounts of cash around.Roads had improved but not enough to allow
coaches to accelerate and escape. Better roads
meant increased travel. There was no police force in the C18th and local constables did not try to track highwaymen across counties.
Why was highway robbery a problem for the authorities?
They disrupted communication and trade between towns.
They committed their crime in broad daylight on the Kings highway. Guns and horses were cheap to obtain. Areas around London became very dangerous e.g. Hounslow. Heath was ideal for highway robbers, with woods to disappear into. The authorities saw it as a serious problem and offered large fines were offered for information.
Why did highway robbery decline in the late C18th?
The Bloody Code discouraged highway robbery. Banks opened so travellers no longer carried large amounts of money. High rewards encouraged informers.
Mounted patrols were set up around London so highwaymen were more likely to be caught.
What is smuggling?
bringing goods into the country without paying import tax on them. Tobacco and tea were the most common smuggled items because tax was so high.
Why was smuggling a problem for the authorities?
It meant less tax for the government. Many people saw it as a ‘victimless’ crime – it helped to keep down prices. They did not regard it as a crime. Local communities often protected smugglers and hid smuggled items. Some smugglers formed large, violent gangs like the Hawkhurst Gang. Witnesses and magistrates were often too afraid to give evidence or convict.
What is poaching?
Poaching was a ‘social’ crime, which most people did not regard as a crime e.g. like music downloads today. Only landowners with land worth £100 or more were allowed to hunt. Poaching was seen as an attack on their property.
What bloody code?
Because there was no professional police force or prison system, the authorities relied more and more on harsh physical punishments to maintain law and order, and to protect property rights – known as the ‘Bloody Code’
What medieval punishments were also used in the Early Modern era?
Physical - whipping and mutilation. Humiliation – stocks and pillory. Hanging, drawing and quartering for treason (not nobles). Fines BUT The use of the death penalty increased after the 1723 Black Act.
