Social Changes

• What was the time period referred to as the Early Modern Period in England?

  1500-1700
• What was the learning objective of the study material?


  To understand the changing nature of crime and punishment and the reasons for this
• What were some of the key questions posed in the study material?

  How did Church courts work? What was Sanctuary? What was benefit of the Clergy? What was an issue with Trial by Ordeal?
• What societal changes occurred during the Early Modern Period?


  There was an increase in wealth and poverty
• How did the desires of rich landowners change during this period?


  They wanted more say in the way the country was run
• What type of laws became tougher during the Early Modern Period?


  Laws for crimes against property
• What significant religious change occurred in England during this period?


  England became Protestant
• What could happen to individuals with the wrong religion during this time?

  They could face execution
• What tougher laws emerged during the Early Modern Period?

  Laws against royal and church authority
• How did these changes affect crime and punishment?


  They affected crimes, punishments, trials, and policing
• What was the most common crime during the Early Modern Period?

  Petty theft
• What was the state of policing during the Early Modern Period?


  No police force existed
• What types of punishment were still in use during this time?

  Capital and corporal punishment
• What trend was observed in crime rates during the 1500s and 1600s?


  The amount of crime went up
• What was the public perception of crime by the late 1600s?


  People believed crime was rapidly rising
• What happened to punishments in the 1680s?


  Even minor crimes could result in execution
• How did the number of crimes with the death penalty change?


  The number greatly increased
• What were the social changes that contributed to the increase in crime during the 1500s and 1600s?

  • Increase in wealth and poverty
  • Rise in fear of crime
  • Tougher laws against property crimes
  • Lack of policing
• What changes contributed to the increased fear of crime during the Early Modern Period?


  • Rise in reported crimes
  • Public perception of crime being on the rise
  • Harsh punishments for minor offenses
• What changes led to tougher laws surrounding crimes against poverty?

  • Increase in vagrancy
  • Rise in petty theft
  • Economic disparities
• What changes led to tougher laws surrounding crimes against royal and church authority?


  • Religious changes (Protestantism)
  • Political tensions
  • Increased enforcement of authority
• What changes contributed to the increased use of capital punishment for minor crimes?


  • Harsher laws in the 1680s
  • Public fear of crime
  • Increase in the number of crimes punishable by death
• What were the seven types of crime identified during the early modern period?


  1. Vagrancy
  2. Witchcraft
  3. Poaching
  4. Drinking and not attending church
  5. Highway Robbery
  6. Smuggling
  7. Riot