Enforcing Law and Order Flashcards
Tithings
Adult men were put in to groups of 10, If one member of the 10 broke the law it was the responsibility of the others to catch the culprit and take him to court
How many men were in one Tithing?
10
When were tithings used?
Medieval Era
Hue and Cry
Calling on fellow villagers to chase the criminal. If villagers failed to join then the village could be fined.
When was hue and cry used?
Medieval Era
How did trials before 1500 operate?
Royal Judges would travel around the country to deal with serious cases.
County courts were established (JP’s)
Each village or manor had a manor court, held by a local lord or landowner for minor cases
Roles of policing for the Parish Constable
Keep order in inns and ale houses.
Keep the peace in the parish.
Send illegitimate children back to their original parish.
Arrest people who have committed crimes.
Prevent crimes such as trespassing and poaching.
Carry out punishments such as whipping vagabonds.
Look out for vagabonds.
What did Watchmen do?
They patrolled the streets of the largest towns on a nightly basis.
They did not have a uniform but were identifiable by their heavy coat, lantern and bell.
What did Henry Fielding set up?
Bow Street Runners
What did the Bow Street Runners do?
Paid constables who patrolled London
At first these men were paid from a government grant, but they also got rewards from catching suspects in the same was as Thief Takers.
How many Bow Street Runners were there by 1800?
68
Why did Henry Fielding set up the Bow Street Runners?
He wrote a report which stated that London’s crime rate was due to people expecting an easy life and resorting to crime rather than work, corruption in the Government and the ineffective policing systems.
Why was there a great opposition to the Bow Street Runners?
-People disliked the inevitable cost of a police force
-People disliked the idea of rising taxes
-Concern that freedoms would be lost and privacy would be invaded
Who created the Metropolitan Police?
Sir Robert Peel
1829 Metropolitan Police Act
Established the Metropolitan Police in central London.