history - crime and punishment: eraly modern england (c1500-c1700)

Why did Merton Lither king start the reformation?

• he believed the Catholic Church needed reform

• Also believed the catholic church was corrupted and no longer followed the bible

What were the religions of the Tudor/struart monarchs and how sever was their crime and punishment for heresy/ treason?

• Henry vIII, catholic however broke away from pope, sever punishment

• Edward VI, Protestant, relatively unsevere punishment

• Mary I, catholic very sever punishment

• Elizabeth I, Protestant relatively sever punishment

• James I relatively sever punishment

Why did poverty and vagabondage increase?

• falling wages

• Increasing food prices

• and growing population

• vagabonadge is a new crime

The vagrancy act?

• 1547

• Very harsh

• Able bodied vagrant without work for more than 3 days were branded with the letter V and sold as a salve for 2 years

• Not always carried out and withdrawn after 3 years

Relief of the poor act ?

• 1567

• Harsh punishment

• Whipping and burning the ear with a hot iron

Poor law?

• 1601

• All local parishes are expected to provide poor relief (financial assistance) to deserving poor

• Undeserving poor branded/ whipped or sent to a house of corrections

What was enclosure?

• when communal land is enclosed by the land owners and used for sheep farming

Game act?

• 1671

• Makes it illegal to fish or hunt on enclosed land

What crimes did enclosure lead to an increase of?

• poaching

• Vagabondage

Poaching?

• an example of a social crime

• People continue to poach as they believed the law was unfair

• It is very hard to prevent poaching gangs were created

• Other didn’t repot poaching

Smuggling ?

• new crime due to new goods from the new world available in Elizabethan England and Elizabeth imposed import duties on all goods entering the country

• Lead to an increase of smuggling - people illegally importing goods and selling them without paying the duties

• Social crime as people wanted to buy the cheaper goods and so didn’t report smuggling

• Becomes hard for the authorities to stop it

Who was Oliver Cromwell?

• took control of England after Charles I was executed as a result of losing the English civil war

• He was a strict puritan

What changes to the nature of crimes were brought in by the puritans?

• gathering to play sports after church was banned

• Drinking and feasting at church was banned and so was the church selling alcoholic drinks

• Christmas celebrations banned and it was believed that you should spend the day in prayer

• Shows role of leadership and religion in changing nature of crime

Proof of population growth in early modern?

• in 1500 the population was 2.5 million by 1700 it was between 5 and 6 million

• More people lived in urban areas like London, Bristol and port cities

Why did increasing population lead to more crime?

• more people lived in cities so theft and fraud more common as people were anonymous

• More good available to steal in cities

• More people moving to towns for work meant more people without source of income which leads to more crime

What were night watchmen?

• all male householder were expected to serve as part of their duties

• Work unde town constable

• Take turns to patrol local area between 10pm and dawn

• Ring a bell to warn people to get home so not to be viewed as criminals

• Unpaid

• Work alone so unsafe

What were town constables?

• employed by town authorities and paid small amount

• Appointed by locals with good social standing like merchants

• Can arrest suspects without warrant from JPs

• Expected to turn serious criminals to courts

• Expected to stop suspected criminals, break up fights etc

• Help with local administration

What were professional theif takers?

• constables and watch men were not very effective so victims of crimes turned to theif takers

• paid a reward for catching criminals and returning stolen goods

• Open to corruption as come criminals also operated as thief takers and informed on rival gangs to make money