1700-1900

• Why did smuggling become more common in the 18th century

  Higher import taxes on goods including wine spirits and cloth, which made smuggling s lot more attractive

  trade had also grown so they could get more appealing goods that were seen as rich which also encouraged people to smuggle
• what was a development of smuggling due to the rapid increase of demand

  many took advantage of the popular demand for smuggling and large violent gangs began to from in order to conduct larger smuggling operations
• what was a famous smuggling gang during the industrial period

  Hawkhurst gang - who controlled smuggling on the south coast around Kent
• when was the smuggling gang active and who was its leaders

  1735 - 1749

  arthur gray and Thomas kingsmill
• when were Thomas kingsmill and Arthur gray caught and executed

  TK - 1749

  AG - 1748
• why did authorities find it hard to police smuggling in the 18th century

  it was a social crime - so many benefited and didn’t see it as wrong. many smugglers were seen as heroes. many upper class people also used smugglers to get luxury items so helped them hide instead of telling authorities. this made them hard to track down
• how did darkness help smugglers in the 18th century

  they often operated at night so they were hidden by the darkness. lots of the coast was also unpoliced so it was easy to find a secluded cove where they could hide and bring their goods to sure
• how did the government almost create the crime of smuggling

  because they increased import duties and this allowed a financial incentive for people to break the law
• why did smuggling decrease in the late 18th century

  the government reduced taxes in the 1780s (prime minister William Pitt) which made it less profitable and they were again reduced in the 19th century and this meant there wasn’t much difference in price.

  the building of watchtowers and introduction of coastguards in the 1820s also made it easier to catch them and made it harder for the smugglers to hide
• what was highway robbery

  the act of threatening or attacking travellers and forcing them to hand over their valuables
• how did the banking system contribute to highway robbery in the early 18th century

  it wasn’t very developed so people had to carry large sums of money around with them, which made them more vulnerable and an easy target
• how did location increase highway robbery in the early 18th century

  while towns were growing, the country side was much less populated so there were many isolated country roads where they would take place. towns were often spread quite far apart so travellers had to use long remote roads where it was easy to be attacked
• how did the use of carriages increase highway robbery in the early 18th century

  people started to use carriages more and travelled by an early form of public transport called stagecoatch and these were attractive for robbers as they could steal from several people at once
• how did an increase in trade increase highway robbery in the early 18th century

  it meant there was a need to move goods and money around and there was limited banks to keep things in safe keeping so they had to take everything with them
• what were highway robbers who operated on foot called

  footpads
• what were highway robbers who operated on horseback called

  highwaymen
• who was black harry

  a highwayman who robbed pack-mule trains and he was then caught and executed at wardlow mires
• what phrase are highway men famous for

  stand and deliver
• why was highway robbery a serious crime

  reasons:

  • disrupted travel between towns
  • it was committed on the kings highway
  • it could include the theft of mail bags and would therefore disrupt post
• who did highway men try and not steal from

  the poor - but sometimes they became bloodthirsty and would cut out the tongues of their victims so they couldn’t be described to JPs
• what efforts were there to stop highway robbery in the 18th century

  the death penalty was introduced for it in 1772
• what were the reasons for the decrease of highway robbery in the 19th century 


  there was mounted patrols on major roads and they often went to taverns and encouraged people to give them information

  there was the growth of the banking system so many had banknotes that could be traced more easily when stolen

  enclosure and turnpike gates made it harder for them to escape after a robbery as you were stopped and had to pay to pass

  highways became busier and much of the land that used to be empty and accesible for them to hide were being built on
• what smaller reasons were there for an increase in highway robbery

  Reasons

  • Horses became cheaper to buy
  • they could keep and sell their goods in taverns
  • after the war people needed money
  • handheld guns were easier to access
  • there was no police force and constables didnt track down criminals in other towns
• who is an example of a highway robber we have studied

  Dick Turpin - seen as a brave and glamorous hero
• Who was Jack shepherd

  a hugely popular highwayman
• what happened at jack shepherds execution

  in 1724 many admirers lined the streer from Newgate prison to the gallows at tyburn and people threw flowers and public houses gave out free pints of beer. He had been imprisoned and escaped 4 times, which led to his fame. he was so popular that after his death the authorities banned any plays that included his name
• when is the last recorded highway robbery

  1831
• What was a continuity in the act of poaching in 17-1900

  It remained a common crime because many were just tying to feed their families
• What changed about poaching in 17-1900

  More gangs began to operate in poaching in order to commit much more large scale poaching, it was also punished a lot more severely
• when was the Waltham black act passed and what did it do

  1723

  it made poaching a capital crime, it also made it illegal to blacken your face in a hunting area and carry weapons in a hunting area. it also meant that owning doges that were suitable for poaching could be punished by fines or imprisonment
• why were anti poaching laws heavily resented in 17-1900

  they were viewed as harsh and very unfair. they also thought the punishments were excessive compared to the offence. landowners who had land worth over £100 were able to hunt without restrictions which was also unfair as they weren’t the ones struggling
• when was the black act repealed and who by

  1823 by Robert peel
• how did scientific understanding lead to a change in attitudes of witchcraft in 17-1900

  the Royal Society was set up in 1660 to promote science and academic study and encouraged people to value science over superstition which caused a lot of educated people to question witchcraft
• who was John Halt and how did he help change the attitudes towards witchcraft

  he was lord chief justice from 1689-1710 and he believed in examining evidence closely and he acquitted several people accused of witchcraft and his approach encouraged many judges to do the same
• how did the government play a part in changing attitudes on witchcraft

  a new witchcraft act was passed in 1736 which repealed previous laws and made it illegal for someone to claim they had magical powers and this was punishable by fine or imprisonment. this showed changing attitudes among educated people led to a change in the law
• when was witchcraft decriminalised

  1736 due to the witchcraft act in the reign of George II
• did ordinary people follow the changing attitudes towards witchcraft 17-1900

  many continued to believe in it and some still used the services of spiritual leaders and they locally organised witch hunts
• what did the change in attitudes towards witchcraft mean for accusations

  it meant they decreased drastically
• what is a martyr

  a person who suffers for their elders and is often admired for it
• what is a trade union

  An organisation that represents workers to protect their rights