GCSE History - Crime and Punishment

What are the dates for the different time periods?

Medieval - 1000-1500

Early Modern - 1500-1700

18th and 19th century - 1700-1900

Modern Britain - 1900-now

How did Medieval Britain view kings?

chosen by God

most important person

controlled land

How did Medieval England view nobles?

king's main supporters

have land

in return for land provide king with knights

expected to keep law and order in their land

How was the church viewed in Medieval England?

-believe in heaven and hell

-Church offered help to get your soul to heaven

-Priest in every village

-Church courts for churchmen

-Sanctuary to criminals

What were peasants like during Medieval England?

-Worked on land of local lord

-Close communities

-Had no police so policed each other

Anglo-Saxon: tithings

'Police force' - every man over age of 12 had to join one, made up of ten men who were responsible for each other

Anglo-Saxon: hue and cry

If crime was committed you were expected to raise H&C

Entire village had to hunt criminal - if not whole village had to pay heavy fine

Anglo Saxon : trial by local jury

Relied on local communities

Made up of local men who knew accused/accuser and the jury decided who was guilty

Anglo-Saxon : trial by ordeal, what is it?

Religious society - took place inside church with priest present (god's representative)

Used if local jury couldn't decide if guilty or not

What were some different trial by ordeals?

Hot iron

Cold water

Hot water

Blessed bread

Anglo-Saxons : wergild

Fine - compensation to victim or their family

Anglo Saxon: capital and corporal punishment

Death penalty- treason, betraying local lord, to deter others

Corporal - regular offenders, cutting off body parts

When was the Battle of Hastings?

1066 - William duke of Normandy won

What changes did William make to the legal system?

Murdrum fines

Harsher on women

Norman- French official language used in court

Church courts

Parish Constable

Trial by combat

Forest laws

What did William keep the same?

Hue and cry

Tithings

Wergild ( although now paid to king's officials )

Trial by ordeal

Capital and corporal punishment

What is a murdrum fine?

If a Saxon person murdered a Norman the whole town had to pay a fine

What were forest laws?

Not allowed to cut down trees

Not allowed to hunt

When was trial by ordeal abolished?

1215

What changed in early modern England in crime and punishment?

Justices of peace - minor crimes and quarter sessions

Law of treason strengthened

Witches were blamed more

Stocks - not afford funds

Pillory - selling underweight or rotten goods

Vagabonds

Jails used for keeping criminal until trial

What were the three main crimes people were concerned with during early modern England?

Heresy, vagabondage and witchcraft

What encouraged the fear of vagrancy ? (EMB)

Media - increased awareness

Science and technology because things could be printed like books

What are the different dates to do with punishing vagabonds (EMB) ?

1531 - whipped

1547 - 1st offence 2years slavery 2nd offence life slavery

1550 - 1547 act repealed and 1531 act instead

1572 - 1st whip or burn through ear 2nd execution

1576 - houses of correction

Why did people become vagabonds?

Rising population = less jobs = more unemployment

1500s people could travel more

When did witchcraft become a more serious offence and why?

1542 - religious changes under Henry VIII became criminal offence

Elizabeth made tough Law

1590 - James I made tougher laws and wrote book of witchcraft

Why were there more cases of witchcraft during religious unrest?

Old practices and beliefs changing.

Protestants preached the devil was tempting christians away from god

What policing stayed the same (EMB) ?

Hue and cry

Parish constables - still main defence

Justices of peace - during tudors became a bigger part of local law

Citizens still looked out for each other

How did policing change during EMB?

Town watchmen and sergeants - larger towns, patrol streets, poorly paid

How did trials change in EMB?

Royal judges - serious crimes

1600s people weren't allowed to claim benefit of clergy for serious offences

Habeus corpus - 1679, stop police locking ppl up without proving crime, criminal had to be seen in court within certain time or released

What was the bloody code?

Legal document that stated which laws carried the death penalty

How many crimes were punishable by death in 1815?

225

What was transportation and when did it start being used?

Instead of DP people were sent away to Australia to be slaves.

Started in the 1660's

How did Henry VIII change religion in England?

Made himself the head of the Church of England

How did Edward VI change religion in England?

More protestant

How did Mary I change religion in England?

More Catholic

killed 300 protestants

How did Elizabeth change religion in England?

More protestant

killed 250 Catholics

What forms of policing were there in 1500-1700?

Citizens

Watchmen and sergeants

Hue and Cry

Parish Constable

Justice of the people (JP's)

Rewards for criminals

What trials were used in the Early Modern period?

Benefit of the Clergy - church courts

Courts - manor court = minor crimes, Royal judges = serious,

Haebeas Corpus - stopped people being locked up for no reason 1679

Why was the bloody code introduced? (factors)

Poverty and wealth-rich wanted protection

Government-MP's passed the laws

Attitudes in society-thought crime was out of control

Urbanisation-more people so harder to control

Travel-streets were more crowded so easier

Technology-pamphlets

How did crime change in the industrial period?

-Last execution of Heresy in 1612

-Fear of vagabonds decreased

-1736 witchcraft laws repealed

What kind of crime were people more concerned about in Industrial times?

Crime that disrupted trading:

highway robbery, smuggling poaching, trade unions

What was the Black Act of 1723?

Hunting deer, hare or rabbits was punishable by death

Why did people poach?

Big profits

More demand for meat

How did education laws change in the industrial period? (IP)

1880 - law that all children go to school until 13

How did people's views on the government change in the IP?

realised government should have some control over things

How did ideas about human nature change in the IP?

Make conditions better so people will behave in a better way.

Mid 1800s Darwins theory of Evolution

How did Wealth and taxes change in the IP?

Britain got rich

Higher taxes - living conditions get better

How did travel change in the IP?

Railways were used more

How did Harvests and farm life change in the IP?

Food can be imported quickly and cheaply so there was less pressure on farmers

How did voting rights change in the IP?

Mid 1800s - 1/8 men can vote

1885 - all men can vote

Housing and health improved to get votes

How did work change in the IP?

18th cent - most were farmers

19th cent - most were in factories

How did population change in the IP?

1750 - 9.5million in England and Wales

1900 - 41.5 million

Who were the Tolpuddle Martyrs?

A group of farmers who were transported to Australia for creating a trades union

Why were people worried about trade unions?

Thought it took control away from businesses

French Rev just finished - worried it would happen in UK

Why did people smuggle?

They didn't havee to pay taxes on the items

Big profit

Everyone included rich wanted the luxuries so brought from them

How did the government respond to smuggling?

Duke Richmond wanted to get rid of it so in 1748 killed 45 smugglers.

Which factors influenced people into smuggling?

Wealth and poverty

Travel

Government

Urbanisation

Attitudes in society

What factors influence people into Highway Robbery?

Travel

Wealth and poverty

Urbanisation

Media

Government

Technology (carts, guns)

Which factors influence poaching?

Wealth and poverty

Attitudes in society

Urbanisation

Government

Which factors influenced the tolpuddle martyrs?

Wealth and poverty

Individuals

Attitudes in society

When were the witch craft laws appealed?

1736 - industrial rev.

When were the tolpuddle martyrs active?

1833

What was the role of Magistrates?

Local volunteers who prevent crime and sentence people.

People thought they were useless because they didn't want to sentence people to death

What was the role of juries? What did they think of the DP?

Hated the DP so let lots of people off

30% of accused were acquitted

What did the Fielding Brothers do? Who were the Bow Street Runners?

1748 - got good constables to make a highway patrol

1754 - paid the constables, now knows as 'Bow Street runners'

What was the role of Constables?

Dealt with everyday crimes and kept people in prison

Used in all time periods

What is the role of Night watchmen?

Patrol streets

Arrest drunks and vagabonds

Were badly paid

Who was Sir Robert Peel?

Home Secretary in 1822

responsible for Metropolitan Police Force

When was the police force set up?

1829

Why was the police force introduced?

Crime increased because they were unemployed after the French war

Scared of a revolution

Urbanisation meant usual methods weren't god enough

When did Sir Robert Romily pass a law for saying no death penalty for pick pocketing?

1808

When was the last beheading?

1820

when was the last public hanging?

1868

Why did Peel want to change the law?

-Juries wouldn't convict as they felt bad killing people - blood code wasn't working

-Public executions didn't work- people got angry their friends were being killed

-Ideas about punishment changed - transportation used more

Why was transportation used?

Less harsh so juries would convict

Harsh enough to deter

Reduced crime rate in Britain

Claimed Australia for Britain

Reformed criminals

Was transportation successful from the Governments point of view?

Y-claimed Australia

Y-juries more willing to convict

Y-Gold rush there = UK had control

Y-Criminals stay there = reduces urbanisation

N-1/2million pounds a year = prisoners were cheaper

N-didn't deter people

Was transportation successful for the criminals?

Y-nice place, most stayed there

Y-Gold Rush, got money if they stayed

Y-High wages

Y-peaceful lives

N-could get a harsh settler and bad work

When and why did transportation stop?

1857

Settlers didn't like it, Britain didn't want them to leave the empire so stopped it to keep them happy

Also prisons were cheaper

How did prisons change in the IP?

Focused more on reformation

Government inspect prisons

What was the old prison system?

Everyone was housed together - 'Schools for crime'

Wardens weren't paid

Prisoners had to pay for everything

Rely on charities paying for you

Bad living conditions, got ill = Gaol fever

What was prison like after the first prison reforms in 1820?

Peel made a Gaol Act saying:

Male and female separated

Separated with severity of crime - ends 'school for crime'

Everyone go to Chapel

Visits from magistrates

Good living conditions

Wardens are paid

Get food

No pets

What was the separate system?

Prisoners were alone in cells and couldn't talk to each other

Expensive

Used solitary confinement - mad, breakdowns, suicidal

Reformation not deterrence

Got religious help

Got food

What was the silent system?

Had to be silent or tortured

Hard wooden beds

Got food

Hard labour - made to do pointless hard work

What did Elizabeth Fry do?

Influenced 'Gaol act of 1823'

Set up prayer groups for prisoners

Visited lots of criminals

What did John Howard do?

Published 'State of prisons in england and wales' in 1777 - showed how bad the prisons were

In 1820-30 they finally followed his ideas

What did Samuel Romily do?

Removed DP for pick pocketing, sailors and soldiers found begging

Changed peoples views

Reduced the amount of people that were executed per year

Executions were made private in 1868

Define wergild

A Saxon system of fines. These fines compensated the victims crimes or their families.

Define murdrum fine

A fine set by King William. Everyone in the town had to pay if a Norman was killed.

Define benefit of the clergy

When the accused claimed the right to be cried in church courts.

It was more lenient

Define a blood feud

If someone was murdered the family could track down the murderer and kill them

What was the role of a coroner?

A man who had to look at all unnatural deaths.

What was computation?

An oath sworn by accuser to say the accused was guilty.