Crime in c1700-c1900 Flashcards
1
Q
What are some changes in smuggling?
A
- C18th more goods including cloth, wine and spirits-were taxed and smuggling increased
- C18th was the growth of large smuggling gangs like the Hawkhurst gang
2
Q
Evidence for Hawkhurst Gang:
A
- They controlled smuggling around long stretches of the south coast of England from 1735-49
- Far more organised and operated on a larger scale than earlier smugglers
- The leaders Arthur Gray and Thomas Kingsmill were caught and hanged in 1748/49
3
Q
Why was smuggling a social crime?
A
- Many people benefitted from the cheaper smuggled goods
- Some smugglers were even viewed as local heroes
4
Q
Why did smuggling become less common?
A
- William Pitt lowered import duties in the 1780s and they were reduced again in C19th
- There was now less difference in price so the extent of smuggling dropped dramatically
5
Q
Why did highway robbery become more common in the C18th?
A
- Trade increased so there was more need to move goods and money
- Only a few banks where money could be left so travellers often carried large sums in cash
- Many isolated roads where robberies could take place
- Turnpike trusts improved the road surfaces, charging travellers a toll to pay for these improvements. More travel, more people to steal from
6
Q
What is an example of a highwayman?
A
- In Derbyshire, Black Harry robbed pack-mule trains
- Eventually caught and executed at Wardlow Mires
7
Q
Why was highway robbery treated as a serious crime?
A
- Disrupted travel between towns
- Crime was committed on the king’s highway
- Disrupted the postal service
8
Q
Why did highway robbery decrease?
A
- In 1772, death penalty introduced
- Continued into the 19th century but after 1815 it became less common
- The last reported case was in 1831
- Mounted patrol on major roads in C19th
- Growth of banking systems
9
Q
How did poaching change?
A
- Rise in gangs operating on a large scale
- Prompted the 1723 Black Act made it a capital crime- blackening your face in a hunting area and carrying snares illegal
- Only landowners with land worth more than £100 a year could hunt with no restriction
- 1823, the Act was repealed by Robert Peel no longer a capital crime.
10
Q
Decriminalisation of Witchcraft:
A
- In 1736, George II, a new witchcraft act was passed
- Decriminalised witches
- Those who claimed to be witches were now seen as tricksters
- Less severe punishments of fines and imprisonment
11
Q
Why was the French Revolution frightening the authorities?
A
- In 1789
- Temporary overthrow of the ruling classes with thousands of the nobility executed
- Further uprisings in 1830
- Felt vulnerable
12
Q
What was the motive of the Tolpuddle Martyrs?
A
- The men had been accused of administering an illegal oath
- They swore to protect their wages
- They wanted to protest about their low wages six shillings a week average for a farm labourer was ten shillings a week
- Created a ‘friendly society’ an early form of trade union
13
Q
What was their punishment and public reaction?
A
- Loveless and the other men were sentenced to 7 years transportation
- Mass protest in London with up to 100,000 and a petition with 200,000
- Lord Melbourne refused to accept it
- 4 years later they were pardoned and were given a ‘hero’s welcome’
- Shows how public opinion could influence definitions of crime