1500-1750 Early Modern England

• In what year did witchcraft become a capital crime?

  Witchcraft became a capital crime in 1542.
• In 1601, what act allowed the 'Undeserving Poor' to be whipped, branded, or sent to correction houses?


  The act that punished the 'Underserving Poor' was the Poor Laws.
• Define vagabondage.

  Vagabondage was the crime of being a wandering beggar.
• Why was smuggling a difficult crime to police in the Early Modern period?

  Smuggling was difficult to police because many people did not view it as threatening or serious. They were happy to buy cheaper goods from smugglers.
• Did crimes against the person increase or decrease in Early Modern England?

  Increased.

  Crimes against a person increased in Early Modern England because of urbanisation. Urban areas became a lot more busy and had more vagabonds.
• Define thief taker.

  A thief taker was tasked with reclaiming the victim’s stolen property. If they were successful, they received a portion of the recovered property as payment.
• Was being a town watchman a paid role?

  No All male householders were expected to volunteer to become town watchmen.
• Did the town constable have more or less responsibility than a town watchman?

  More. 

  A town constable oversaw town watchmen. They handed serious criminals over to the courts.
• True or False?

  There was little change in corporal punishment methods from Medieval to Early Modern England.

  True.

  Repeated offenders of petty theft were maimed and causing public disorder continued to be punished by flogging.
• Define hung, drawn and quartered.

  Hung, drawn and quartered is a form of execution. A person is hanged by the neck, has their entrails removed and their body cut into four parts.
• Name the new form of punishment in the Early Modern period.

  The new form of punishment in the Early Modern period was houses of correction. They punished vagabonds and repeat offenders with hard labour and whipping.
• Define the Bloody Code.

  The Bloody Code increased the number of capital offences. People were sentenced to death for poaching rabbits and stealing bread.
• When was transportation startedas a method of punishment?

  Transportation started as a method of punishment during James I's reign (1603-1625).
• True or False?

  Transportation was seen as both a deterrence and as retribution.

  True.

  Transportation was harsh enough to be a serious punishment but was not unfair. The conditions on boats and in colonies deterred many people from committing crimes.
• How did the government find the other Gunpowder plotters?

  Fawkes was tortured and confessed the names of the other plotters. Government soldiers fought and killed some of the plotters, including Catesby. The surviving plotters were arrested for treason. Found guilty in 1605
• Why was the punishment for treason so harsh in Early Modern England?

  Treason was the worst crime a person could commit so deserved the worst punishment. A public execution may deter others from committing treason.
• What monarch began promoting witch-hunting?

  James I
• What year did Matthew Hopkins begin to hunt witches?

  1645
• What was the ‘Daemonologie’?

  The ‘Daemonologie’ was a book written by James I in 1597. It explained the dangers of witches, and how to conduct witch trials.
• Define a familiar of a witch.

  A familiar was a spirit who supposedly took the form of an animal and served witches. If an animal walked into an interrogation room, Hopkins used it as evidence of being a witch's familiar.
• True or False?

  If a person had scars, boils, or spots, Hopkins used this as evidence of them being a witch.

  True.

  Unusual marks were considered the 'Devil’s mark’ from which familiars sucked witches’ blood.