History Crime and punishment

• Examples of lawlessness


  • The impact of enclosure on agricultural labourers - Kett Rebellion of 1549
• Wales did not experience any major rebellions. However, it did have a reputation for lawlessness eg. cattle theft, often encouraged by the marcher lords, who were supposed to keep order but often profited from the crimes
• Heresy


  to go against the religion of the monarch
• Heretic


  If you carried out this crime you were punished for being a heretic
• The reason why there was such argument over religion: Following the Protestant Reformation in Europe - the followers of Martin Luther wanted the reform of the Catholic Church. Henry VIII took England and Wales out of the Catholic Church in 1533 as he divorced Catherine of Aragon and made himself Head of the Church of England.
• Briefly – the four Tudor monarchs and main changes during their reign

  • Henry VIII - a Catholic who became Protestant
  • Edward VI - a strong Protestant under the influence of his Council
  • Mary I - a strong Catholic - roughly 300 heretics were burnt in 5 years
  • Elizabeth I - Protestant - talked of the 'middle way' but SRG?
• The reasons for riots

  • Tension over religious change e.g. the Pilgrimage of Grace under Robert Aske - 1537
• Treason


  A crime / betrayal of the monarch or the country
• Henry VIII attempted to silence opposition by introducing a new set of laws. They stated that treason was:


  • Anyone who said or wrote things v the king and his family or who openly supported the Pope
  • Anyone who questioned the king's beliefs as going against the church's beliefs or someone saying that the king was unjust
  • Anyone who kept silent when questioned on the king's rights and authority
• Religious and political opinions could be classed as treason. Those found guilty were put to death – a most common form was by being hung, drawn and quartered.
• Welsh examples of the religious tensions

  • Rawlins White, a Cardiff fisherman, was burned in 1555 for refusing to give up his Protestant faith.
  • In Elizabeth's reign, 1584, the Catholic, Richard Gwyn, was executed in Wrexham for refusing to accept her as Head of the Church.
  • John Penry, a puritan preacher, was also executed for heresy.
• In the eighteenth and nineteenth century – great change due to: Industrialisation and urbanisation
• Agricultural labourers were forced to migrate because

  An increase of machinery and new methods on farms led to a fall in demand for agricultural labourers
• These labourers were forced to migrate to the industrial towns e.g. Merthyr Tydfil. Here they found work in mines, foundries and factories
• Because of the increase in the population in towns there was a rise in crime.
• Why people migrated to towns and cities

  • Push factors
  • Pull factors
• The rural population was growing and there were not enough jobs to go around
• Agricultural work was often seasonal and could not offer employment all year round
• Industrial workers earned more than agricultural workers
• The development of transport e.g. the railways meant it was easier and cheaper to travel
• Factories, mines and ironworks all needed a workforce which would live nearby
• Industrialists built houses for their workers nearby where they worked
• Industrial jobs offered work for all the family – men, women and children
• Once one member of a family had moved to a town or city and found work – others in the family followed
• Young people in towns and cities married younger and had larger families than rural areas
• London at this time experienced rapid growth: Population went from 675,000 in 1750 to 2.3 million by 1851.
• As a result there was rapid growth and squalid living conditions. Crime became an increasing problem in the East End because


  • overcrowding
  • squalor
• There were other reasons why there was an increase in crime during the 19th century

  • Population increase – saw increased levels of crime in the new towns & cities
  • Growth of industrial towns – e.g. Merthyr Tydfil – 1801- 7,705 1851 – 46,000
  • Poor living conditions – Poor quality housing and squalid unsanitary conditions – ideal for crime – a heavy concentration living in same area with no/little security. Also problems associated with drunkenness.
  • Economic problems – ending of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 caused unemployment and poverty. Bad harvests and high food prices, people turning to crime in order to survive
  • Political unrest – working class people demanding change. Often resulted in violence and criminal damage E.g. Luddites – 1812-13-factory machinery attacked Swing Riots – 1830-31 – farm machinery destroyed
• In new towns, unlike in farming villages, people tended not to know many of their neighbours; as a result, it was easier to get away with crime.
• Rookeries


  narrow winding streets and alleyways made life easy for criminals
• Policing was not good enough as it was based on the old rural way of living.
• Periods of unemployment or loss of work due to accidents were frequent, so destitute families stole to survive.
• Due to the low life expectancy, many fathers died young and so orphans were common in industrial towns. Orphans often turned to crime to survive
• Welsh examples of problems at this time

  • Houses had been built rapidly and living conditions were appalling.
  • Not surprisingly Merthyr had a reputation for crime. Its poor working and living conditions were a major reason for the Merthyr Rising in 1831.
  • Wales also experienced violent rural protest. The Rebecca riots 1839-43 were protests against the toll gates, but also about rising rents, payment of tithes and general rural poverty.
  • Workers had no political rights and so had no legal way to change their living and working conditions.
  • Even joining a trade union was a criminal offence e.g. in England the Tolpuddle martyrs.
  • Violent protest was not uncommon e.g. the Merthyr rising in 1831 and the Newport rising in 1838.
• Many crimes continued into the twentieth century – theft, robbery, assault and murder - The causes of these crimes often remained the same.
• Changes in society provided criminals with new opportunities – for example The impact of technology
• Figures have risen sharply, however, much of the increase can be accounted for by the increased recording and reporting of crime, improved policing methods and the use of scientific technology to detect crime.
• Violent crime figures remained the same in the twentieth century, the ration of murders to population actually fell. 1880s – 15 murders per million of the population 1980s – 11 murders per million – a reduction of 26%
• Men:


  • Responsible for 85% of crime
• Men aged 25 or under:


  • committed over half of these crimes