How did social structure impact crime and criminal law?

Crime and Punishment, 1700-1900

In this course, Dr David Churchill (Leeds University) explores crime and punishment in Britain from 1700-1900. In the first module, we look at how the social structure of Britain impacted the country’s crime and criminal law, focusing on the different kinds of crimes that were committed by individuals from different social classes. In the second module, we turn to look at social change and the impact that it had upon crime, focusing on developments such as industrialisation, urbanisation and migration. In the third module, we take a deeper look at the criminal justice system in Victorian Britain. Then, in the fourth and fifth modules, we look at police reform and penal reform in Britain, giving particular attention to prison reform in the 19th century.

How did social structure impact crime and criminal law?

In this lecture, we look at how the social structure of Britain impacted the country’s crime and criminal law during the 18th and 19th centuries, focusing in particular on: (i) the impact that the landed gentry had upon criminal law in 18th century Britain, including the emphasis placed upon property crime; (ii) the Bloody Code, aka the wave of legislation introduced during the 18th century which mandated the death penalty for various crimes in England; (iii) ordinary crime, including examples of ordinary crimes committed by lower classes and middling sort; (iv) social crime, in particular poaching, gleaning, and workplace crime; and (v) protest crime and the criminal significance of breaching the peace.