Early Modern England - 1500-1700 Flashcards
How did social changes effect crime and punishment
Population growth - more unemployment
Economic change - England becoming wealthier overall but majority remained poor
Printing - made story’s/ comics of crime
Religious turmoil - cause unrest/ confusion/ religious upheave/ religious arguments
Political change - English civil war - parliament beat king / execution of King Charles I
Landowners attitudes - becoming richer/ more influential - regarded poor with suspicion
When was the English civil war
1642-1649
How did printing effect crime
Increased fear of crimes like vagrancy/ witchcraft as more people were reading about it
How did religion change in this period
Henry VIII - Catholic then Protestant Edward I - Protestant Mary I - Catholic Elizabeth I - Protestant James I - Protestant
Henry VIII
Reigned 1509-47
Split from the Church of England when pope refused to grant him his divorce
How did Henry VIII deal with opposition
Those refusing to accept the split were executed
He used Protestant ideas to justify his divorce but he was still Catholic at heart
How did Edward VI deal with opposition
made laws requiring the people to worship in a much more Protestant way
Introduces an English prayer book
Allowed priests to marry
Simplified church designs
How did Mary I deal with opposition
Strictly Catholic
Ordered the burning of nearly 300 Protestants for heresy
Made the Pope the head of the English church again
How did Elizabeth I deal with opposition
Tried to compromise
Wanted to create a Protestant church that wasn’t too challenging to Catholic beliefs
Catholics fined for not attending church
After various plots to kill her, around 250 catholics were executed
How did James I deal with opposition
James was Protestant but was lenient towards catholics at first, however the gunpowder plot changes his attitudes
What crimes became more common in this era
Heresy and treason
When did heresy first become a crime
1382
What is heresy
A crime against the church - one held a different set if beliefs to that of the established religion at the time
What was the traditional punishment for heresy
Burning at the stake or to recant
What was recant
People accused of heresy could take the opportunity to recant
Making a public statement that you have changed your religious beliefs
Why were catholics unhappy when James 1 became king
Thought they would be able to worship more freely but actually laws against catholic tightened
When was the gunpowder plot
1605
Who lead the gunpowder plotters
Robert catesby
What was catesby’s aim
To blow up Parliament, kill James and other Protestant officials and put a catholic on the throne
Who did the plotters want to replace James with
His daughter - Elizabeth
What happened during the gunpowder plot
- Guy Fawkes placed 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath parliament
- An anonymous letter was sent to lord monteagle on 30th October, warning him not to attend state opening of parliament
- he gave letter to Robert Cecil - kings chief minister
- Cecil ordered a search of the Houses of Parliament - guy Fawkes discovered on 5th November
- he was tortured until he revealed the name of the other plotters and signed a confession
- soldiers killed catesby in fighting and survivors were hung, drawn and quartered
When was the state opening of parliament
5th November
When did lord Monteagle receive his letter
30th October 1605
Who is Robert Cecil
The kings chief minister
Why was the punishments for treason harsh
- most serious crime
- without a police force to prevent crime, harsh punishment was the only way to deter
- was a period of political instability, due to disputes over the royal succession
- anti-Catholicism
What were vagabonds
Unemployed homeless person
Why was there an increase in the number of Vagabonds
Rising population, fewer jobs, rising food prices
Why did people not like vagabonds
- Bible - ‘devil makes work for idle hands’ - those unemployed might be tempted to sin
- suspicion that vagabonds were professional criminals who chose not to work
- fear of vagabonds forming secret criminal gangs
- wealthier members of communities already paid poor rates - didn’t want to pay extra
- vagabonds portrayed as criminals in cartoons/ newspapers/ books
What were poor rates
Tax paid by the wealthier members of the parish to provide relief for the poor
What were the vagrancy acts
1494 - vagabonds and beggars act - vagabonds put in stocks for three days
1547 - vagrancy act - the able bodied without work for three days were sold as slaves for two years
1597 - act for the relief of poor - split vagabonds into undeserving and deserving
1601 - poor laws - deserving given relief and underserving were whipped or sent to a correction house
What was the reality of vagabonds
Rising population - bad harvests - falling wages - more poverty - more people moving around for to find work
Some were demolished soldiers
Majority were ordinary unemployed people
How many Vagabonds did the London Bridwell (house of correction) have
In 1560 it has 69
When was witchcraft made punishable by death
In 1542 by Henry VIII
When was there a huge increase of witch craft in east anglia
Between 1645 and 1647, over 250 cases came before the authorities
Who was at the centre of the majority of witchcraft cases
Mathew Hopkins
How did Mathew Hopkins begin his work in witches
In 1645 - Hopkins and his assistant Jean Stearine began searching for witches. He received money for each person prosecuted for being a witch
How many people did Mathew Hopkins accuse of witchcraft
Approx 300 and 112 of those were hanged
How did Hopkins extract confession from his suspects
Exhausted them - kept them standing, and awake for days at a time to weaken their resistance.
What was the evidence Hopkins used for witchcraft
- if a mouse/ fly / spider found it’s way in the room, Hopkins claimed it was a ‘familiar’
- any scar, boil or spot was regarded as a ‘devils mark’ from which ‘familiars’ sucked blood
- when pricked with a needle the accuser doesn’t bleed
- confessions/ witness accounts
- when thrown in water, the accused float
What was a ‘familiar’
A creature created by the Devil to do the witches bidding
Most of those accused for witchcraft were
Women
Why was there a rise in accusations of witchcraft 1645 - 47
Pamphlets - cheap prints often dealt with dramatic cases - widely read and kept the idea of harmful magic firmly in the publics head
Lack of authority - the civil war weakened control of the law. Superstitious locals took it into their own hands as assize judges were less able to travel - uncertain times
Religious upheavals - Protestants preached that the devil was tempting good Christian’s away from god
Changes of law - Henry VIII, Elizabeth and James I tightened laws against witches
Village tensions - in times of poverty, poor asked neighbours for help. Some villagers felt threatened by this. As most people believed that harmful magic can injure/ kill someone, poor vulnerable women were usually blamed if illness or accident struck
What was the Mathew Hopkins pamphlet called
The discovery of witches - published in 1647
What was James I book called
Demonologie - outlining his belief in witches, and encouraged witch hunting = 1597
How was the witches tried
The accusers would present their charge and bring witnesses to support it. The accused would have to defend themselves. However around 80% were elderly widows and had no husband to speak for them
Swim test
What was the swim test
Similar to medieval ‘trial by cold water’. Accused had their hands bound and a rope tied around their waist before being lowered into water. If they float, they would be examined for the devils marks as final proof
What was the punishment for witchcraft
Hanging
How did policing continue from the late Middle Ages
Hue and cry still used, lead by the constable
Citizens still expected to deal with crime themselves - community reliant eg. If someone was robbed it was their responsibility to hunt down and find the criminal
Constables still had an unpaid and part-time role. They didn’t go out on patrol and dealt with every day crime eg, drunkenness
Coroners still investigated unnatural deaths
How did policing change from the late Middle Ages
Watchmen
Sergeants
Rewards - were offered for the arrest of particular criminals accused of serious crimes. Could be equivalent to a years income for a middle class family
What were watchmen
Watchmen were employed in larger towns to patrol the streets day and night. They were expected to arrest vagabonds and drunks. They poorly paid and often little of use
Carried a lamp and a bell + heavier coat. Overseen by town cons tables
- became known as Charlies, or Charleys, after 1663 when Charles II set up a force of paid Watchmen to patrol the streets
- Watchman marked a significant change away from communities policing themselves.
What were sergeants
Sergeants were employed in towns to enforce market regulations by weighing the goods and collecting fines if standards were not met.
What did the courts rely on
Local jury
Continuities of trial since late Middle Ages
- still relied on local jury’s
- manor courts dealt with local, minor crimes - eg. Selling underweight bread
- royal judges still visited each county twice a year - county Assizes
What were county assizes
Royal judges visiting each county twice a year to deal with most serious offences
What was new regarding trials
- JP became more important - held quarter sessions
- those accused of commiting serious crimes could no longer claim benefit of the clergy
- Habeas Corpus act 1679
How did justices of the peace become more important
- judges Manor court cases
- they could fine people/ send them to stocks or pillories/ order them to be whipped
- they were assisted by the Constable
- they held quarter sessions - 4 times a year
What were quarter sessions - JPs
Four times a year, they would meet with the tiger JPs in the county at quarter sessions, where they would judge more serious cases
Had the power to sentence someone to death
Why did they stop allowing those accused of serious crimes claim benefit of the clergy
Most ordinary people were able to read the ‘neck verse’ by 1600
When was the habeas Corpus act passed
In 1679
What was the Habeas Corpus Act
It prevented the authorities from locking a person up indefinitely without charge
It states anyone who was arrested had to appear in court within a certain time it be released
Stoped the fear in people of being locked up without trial
When was the bloody code introduced
1688
What was the bloody code
The number of crimes carrying the death penalty increased dramatically, even for minor crimes such as poaching/ petty theft
In 1688 - 50 crimes by 1815 - 225
How much did the number of crimes increase by in the bloody code
1688 - 50
1815 - 225
the bloody code was introduced when the crime rate was…
Falling - however the public didn’t know this
Why was the bloody code introduced
- pamphlets often portrayed horrific details about robberies/ murders/ vagabonds/ witches, which increased the fear of criminals = talk about vagabonds
- since the Middle Ages, towns have grown in population - hue and cry became less effective - streets were more crowded so easier to commit crime = 6.5 million = public executions = economic + social changes
- the government who passed the laws that made up the bloody code were all wealthy landowners and wanted to protect land - had the most to lose from crimes against property = all the crimes under the bloody code
- people believed severe punishments were the most effective - acting as a deterrent + retribution
What other punishments were used
Pillories Fines Whipping Houses of correction Prisons Transportation
What was the pillories/ whipping intended to do
Shame and humiliate
Used for cheating on cards/ swearing/ selling underweight bread
Whipping - corporal punishment - humiliation and pain
What was prisons used for
For those awaiting trial
Expensive so barely used
What were houses of correction
Buildings to punish and reform
Became known as Bridewells
Criminals were whipped and made to do hard labour
When did transportation start
Late 1660’s
What was transportation
Criminals were sent to American colonies
Transportation for life was used for murderers
Once in America, treated similar to slaves
What encouraged anti- catholic attitudes after gunpowders
The ‘king’s book published soon after the uncovering of the plot, included an account by James himself of the events of the plot, alongside Fawkes’ confession. This helped encourage anti-Catholic attitudes.
How did gunpowder plot effect catholics
In 1606, a law called the Popish Recusants Act forced Catholics to take an oath of allegiance to the English crown. They were also forced to take part in Church of England services and rituals - or pay fines.
The plot continued to have an impact on Catholics in England for centuries after the event. They were restricted from voting, becoming MPs, or owning
land. They were also banned from voting in any elections until 1829,
Public executions
Most towns in Wales had gallows for public executions. Some were permanent fixtures, and others would have been removed and rebuilt when needed. In Cardiff, convicts would walk from the Castle gaol to the gallows in an area in Roath still known locally as Death Junction.
= Executions continued to be carried out publicly in the 18th century, mostly outside Newgate Prison in London. After 1783, a swifter method of execution was used, with the removal of a platform below the prisoner. This broke the neck of the criminal and led to a swifter and less painful death.
