Eighteenth And Nineteenth Century (1700-1900) Flashcards
Why was there a rise in crime from 1750-1850?
Due to extreme population growth from 11 million to 42 million
How did crimes change in this period
It was mainly highway robbery, smuggling, and crimes that disrupted trade.
Heresy ended 1612
Increase in wealth meant that vagabondage decreased
1736 witchcraft laws repealed
What was highway robbery
Criminals in masks who ambushed and stole from travellers on the growing network of roads in this era
Why did highway robbery initially grow
- Hand guns were easy to obtain and quick to load
- many lonely areas outside town
- rough roads, to slow ppl down
- horses cheaper to buy
- stage coaches, regular staging posts where horses were tied and travellers would rest
- easy to sell loot in taverns
- after civil war ended there were many demobilised soldiers who couldn’t find work so they turned to highway robbery
Reasons for decline for highway robbery
- banking improved, so people carried less money
- JP’s refused to licence taverns used by highwaymen
- mounted patrol set up around London and huge rewards increased informers
- open Land was built on as population expanded
- ppl travelled in their own coaches
- roads began to improve, so coaches were much faster
What was poaching
Social crime of hunting on land
What did the 1723 black act state
Hunting dear, hare and rabbits is a capital crime. Anyone found armed disguised or with blackened faces in a hunting area was assumed to be poaching and could be executed.
Who was allowed to hunt and who wasn’t allowed to hunt
Landowners whose land was worth over £100 could hunt anywhere
anyone with less than a £100 could not hunt, even on their own land
Why did people poach?
For food when their wages were low.
Rich would poach for sport and entertainment
Who were gamekeepers
People who would catch poachers.
They were not liked, ppl in villages would team up against gamekeepers and lied in court
How was the black market used in poaching?
Selling things for money and they made a lot more money than most.
Gangs favoured deer parks and game reserves owners by wealthy land owners
E.g John lightwood killed 80 hares in 1764 and sold them 3 shillings a piece
How many smugglers were there during the time?
20,000
what did smugglers smuggle
Smugglers brought in tea, cloth, wine and spirits into the country without paying any import tax on them.
What was the governments response to smuggling?
1748 Duke of Richmond was asked to smack smuggling gangs
1748- 35 smugglers were hanged for their crimes and further ten died in gaol
why was is hard to end snuggling
- fear of smugglers created to deter any interference
- for low paid wagers, smuggling was a quick and exciting way to earn 6 or 7 times the daily wage in one night.
- ppl turned a blind eye, as they were happy to pay lower prices, and locals helped smugglers to carry goods from ship to shore
- gangs moved goods quickly to traders
- wealthy took part in snuggling as gov smuggled wine
- smuggling gangs consisted of 50-100 men
How much tea was smuggled
3 million pounds
What were the effects in the uk after the French Revolution (1789)?
Government were afraid that they would be overthrown.
All protest were seen as a potential uprising.
They were especially anxious about the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union (GNCTU), which aimed to bring all workers together and protest for better conditions
Who was the leader of the tollpuddle martyrs
George lovless
Describe the events of the tollpuddle martrys
- George loveless and his fellow labourers asked for u creased wages, but employers declined and decraesed them more
- 1833 they set the Friendly Society Of Agricultural Labourers, each man swore an oath of secrecy and support for the union
- local far,pm owners used navy law of oaths being illegal and lead to mutiny, to break up the union
-loveless and 5 others were arrested, sentenced to 7 years transportation to australia - as a result GNCTU was broken up
- 17 august, after 111 day voyage they were forced to walk to farms where they age to work, Thomas stand field was aged over 50 and had to walk 150 miles
- in Britain there was widespread outcry at sentence, men were regarded as martyrs and organised a campaign against their unfair treatment
- not until 20 years later did the trade union movement recover
25000 people attended and a petition was signed for their release by 250,000 people - March 1836 gov granted all 6 men pardon, bur didn’t return home until 2 years later
When was freindly society of agricultural labourers set up
1833
How many ppl signed the petition to free the tollpuddle martyrs
250,000
How much did Thomas steinfield walk
150 miles at age 50
How did society change in the industrial period
Population rise - 1750, 9.5v million people lived in villages, and by 1900 rose to 41.5 million in mostly towns as there were more jobs there
Mid 18th only few could vote but by 1885 all men could vote thus increasing housing and health - ppl began to accept gov control
Less chance of poor harvest as food can be imported
1840s railway improved
As trade increased taxes increased, taxes used in reforms to make life better
In 18th Cent barely anyone could read and write but y 1850, 70% could read and write, rose to 90% in 1900
Charles Darwin theory of evolution in 1800s led ppl to think there was a criminal class
How did law enforcement change in this period
No longer local community, local police force was set up in 1829, thanks to robert peel, fielding brothers also ste up bow street runners
Who were the fielding brothers
Henry and john were London magistrates who tried to improve policing
What did the fielding brothers do?
They set up a horse patrol to stop highwaymen, helped end highway robbery
They established the bow street runners
They published the hue and cry
Who were the bow street runners?
A team of thief takers who patrolled the streets of london in the evenings. They also presented crimes and evidence in courts
What was the news paper, hue and cry
Magistrates and gaolers from alll over the country passed on details which created a national network of information
What were the positives and negatives of the fielding brothers work?
Presented a more organised system of preventing crime in 1800s
But
There was no coordination of constables, watchmen, and runners
Many feared a police forces as they feared their freedom may be limited
When was the met police set up
1829
How many men were in the met police
3200
How did the met help reduce people fear of loss of freedom
The met would dress more like civilians than military
What was the role of Robert peel in setting up the met police?
He was Home Secretary in 1822
He was determined to improve people lives by reducing the amount of crime.
Peel made use of statistics to paint a pic of rising criminality
He was persuasive and reassured the ppl that the police would not threaten freedom
How did the government and taxation help set up the met
Gov was more involved in peoples lives
War with France forced gov to raise money through taxes, which helped create the police force
How di dear of protest help set up the police force?
After the frech revolution governments and landowners feared smth might happen in Britain
1815 there were lots of protests as food prices and unemployment rose, so they needed a police force to keep things clam
How did London factor into the making of the met
Rapid growth meant that use of constables and watchmen seemed inadequate.
There were too any people crammed in a small setting so fear of crime rose
How did policing develop after 1829 - key dates?
1835 - law allowing towns to set up police force
1839 - law allowed counties to set up police force, runners and other forces joined w met
1842 - met set up detective force
1856 - became compulsory for all towns and cities to set up police force
1870 - police helmets introduced
1878 - met police reorganised into the CID
1884 - 39000 police in Britain and over 200 forces
What were the main reasons as to why the bloody code was abolished?
Juries would not convict
Public executions weren’t working
Ideas about punishment were changing
Robert peels penal reforms
Why would juries not give people the death penalty
In 1700s only 40% acc hanged
In 1800s only 10%
Juries thought the punishment was not worth the crime they had committed, w courts unwilling to convict crime began to increase
Why weren’t public executions working?
Rather than being a deterrent people used it as entertainment, whole factories would shut down to watch executions,
With large crowds it became easier to pickpocket and increased the chance of the criminal escaping
Why were ideas about punishment changing?
Philosophers argued that crime did not equal punishment
So new methods were taken a look at, e.g 1780s transportation as an alternative
When was the bloody code abolished?
1820
Why and when did transportation to America end, where did they go instead?
1775, as America became independent, instead they went to Australia
Why was it thought that transportation would be a success?
It would:
- provide a less harsh punishment juries would convict
- be harsh enough to terrify criminals and deter them
- reduce crime in Britain by removing the criminals
- help claim the new land of Australia
- reform criminals through hard work
What were they transported in and what did they do on the voyage?
They would travel on hulks, and they worked in chains, conditions wer cramped
What happened to the ppl on arrival to Australia?
Convicts were assigned to settlers
Sentence was whatever work their master gave them
Good conduct would allow their sentence to end early
What happened to those who comity more crimes after transportations
Sent to harsher conditions
What happened if they failed to complete their transportation sentence
They were sentenced to death
When was the peak year for transportation
1833 - when 36 ships and 6779 prisoners were sent to Australia
What was the argument for keeping transportation?
- 1830s Australia became an established part of the British empire
- only a minority retuned to Britain, many stayed in Australia and led more respectable led lives
- many juries still failed to convict death penalty so transportation was a much better alternative
What was the argument against keeping transportation
- 1810 it as described as ‘no more than a summers excursion to a happier and better climate
- 1851 there was a gold found in Australia and people bang paying for a journey there
- Settlers in australia had protest against uk dumping convicts into their country
- transportation was very expensive, prisons ere being used more often
- wages were higher in Australia, so people liked transportation
The end of transportation
Decline bean 1840s.
1857 brought to an end
What was the focus of punishment in the 1800s
Reforming
What was the old prison system like?
- all prisoners were housed together, stories would be exchanged, it was seen as a ‘school for crime’
- prison wardens were unpaid and would earn by charging prisoners fees
- poor relied on local charioted to pay their fees, life was grim
- at Newgate Gaol 257 of the poorest prisoners lived in an area deigned for just 150
- had to pay to see doc
- condiditond weee damp dirty and unhealthy
What did the gaols act state?
- prisoners should be split up into groups so that hardened criminals are not mixing with first time offenders
- male and female prisoners must be separated, women should have female wardens
- prisoners must be given proper food
- prison wardens must be paid by gov
- all prisoners must attend church
- there ist be a fresh supply or water and adequate draining
- magistrates must check on prisons
When was the gaols act passed?
1823
Who were the three key individuals for the development of prisons?
John Howard
Elizabeth fry
Robert peel
What did john Howard do?
- he inspector prisons in Bedfordshire and was shocked by what he saw
- he published a report in 1777, the state of prisons in England and Wales, in which he highlighted the problems
- he proposed for better accommodation, separation of prisoners, decent diet and better guards
What did Elizabeth fry do?
- visited womens nagar eprison and was horrified
- 300 women and babies fighting for clothes of dead babies
- she highlighted the poor working conditions and the exploitation of the women
- encouraged ppl to offer assistance, and set up prayer fro the women
- set up a skl for the children, and taught them skills like stitching and sewing
- big influence on gaols act
Why was pentonville prison built
It was built to deal with an increased number of serious criminals who were no longer being transported or executed,
It was used to reform
It acted as a a model prison
Fewer guards needed
How many prisons were built?
90 in 1842 - 1877
What was the separate system?
All time spent alone in cells To stop spreading ideas To reflect on their crimes and live an honest life when they left Kept 4.5m when walking holding a rope Boxed seats in chapel Had a weaving loom
When did transportation end?
1857
Why was the silent system introduced
Ppl thought that some ppl were just criminal types so they could not be deterred not reformed, so gov set up silent system
What was the silent system like?
Must be silent or else whipped and put on bread and water diet
Hard wooden bunks to sleep on had to do pointless hard labour
Food was monotonous and same every day
