In what year did witchcraft become a capital crime?
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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.
True or False?
Enclosure impacted law and order in Early Modern England.
True.
Many people resisted enclosure by pulling down fences. Landowners wanted laws to protect their land.
Define the English Reformation.
The English Reformation was when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Catholic Church.
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.
True or False?
Witchcraft was as serious a crime in the Early Modern period as it had been in the Medieval period.
False.
In the medieval era, witchcraft was a minor crime tried in church courts. In the early modern era, witchcraft became a very serious crime tried in secular courts.
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.
Why did crimes against property increase in Early Modern England?
Crimes against property increased in Early Modern England because of increased unemployment and poverty. People started to commit 'survival' crimes like poaching and petty theft.
True or False?
Crimes against authority increased in Early Modern England
True.
Crimes against authority increased in Early Modern England because of religious and political changes. Both heresy and treason increased.
What year did the Habeas Corpus Act prevent unlawful imprisonment?
The Habeas Corpus Act was passed in 1679.
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.
How often did Justices of the Peace attend quarter sessions to judge serious crimes?
Justices of the Peace attended quarter sessions four times a year.
Define county assizes.
County assizes were visits that royal judges made to each county twice a year to judge the most serious crimes.
How did Henry VIII impact the process of claiming sanctuary in England?
Henry VIII stopped exiling people abroad who had claimed sanctuary. This kept a tighter control on the Church's use of sanctuary.
True or False?
By the end of the Early Modern period, the Church had a lot of power in law enforcement.
False.
The Church had lost a lot of its power over law enforcement. The justice system became more secular.
Define secular.
Secular is anything that is not connected with the Church.
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.
True or False?
By 1815, there were 160 capital offences.
False.
By 1815, there were 225 capital offences.
When the Bloody Code was introduced, were crime rates falling or increasing?
Crime rates were falling. There was no evidence to support the creation of the Bloody Code.
Define transportation as a method of punishment.
Transportation was the act of sending a convicted criminal to prison camps overseas, particularly in places like North America, and Australia.
When was transportation started as a method of punishment?
Transportation started as a method of punishment during James I's reign (1603-1625).
How many years were transportation sentences?
Transportation sentences were either seven or 14 years.
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.
What year did James I introduce a new law against Catholics?
James I introduced a new law against Catholics in 1604.
What significant action did the Pope take in 1606?
In 1606, the Pope introduced the Popish Recusants Act. This forced Catholics to swear an oath of allegiance to their monarch.
Define a Catholic.
A Catholic is a Christian who follows the teachings of the Pope.
True or False?
Guy Fawkes led a group of Catholics to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
False.
Robert Catesby was the leader of the Gunpowder Plot.
Define a Protestant.
A Protestant is a Christian who separated from the Catholics during the Reformation. They accused the Catholic Church of corruption and ignoring the teachings of the Bible.
Who was arrested first in the Gunpowder Plot?
The plotter who was arrested first was Guy Fawkes. Fawkes was responsible for hiding the gunpowder underneath the Houses of Parliament.
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.
When were the Gunpowder plotters found guilty of treason?
The Gunpowder plotters were found guilty in January 1605.
What punishment did the Gunpowder plotters face?
The punishment that the Gunpowder plotters faced was being hung, drawn, and quartered. They were hanged but cut down when they were almost dead. Their bodies were cut open, and their intestines were pulled out. Their limbs and heads were cut off.
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?
The monarch that promoted witch-hunting was James I.
What year did Matthew Hopkins begin to hunt witches?
Matthew Hopkins began witch-hunting in 1645.
What was a witch-hunt?
A witch-hunt was an active attempt by people to discover witches in society.
What area of England did a lot of witch-hunts take place in?
The area of England where a lot of witch-hunts took place in was East Anglia.
Define the English Civil War.
The English Civil War was a conflict between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians over religion and the power of the king.
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.
Who was Matthew Hopkins?
Matthew Hopkins was employed by a Justice of the Peace to find witches in East Anglia. He got paid for each prosecution that he made.
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.
What punishment was given to those accused of witchcraft?
Witchcraft was a capital offence. Hanging was the most common method of execution for those convicted.
From 1542 to 1736, how many people were executed for witchcraft?
From 1542 to 1736, around 1,000 people were executed for witchcraft. In addition, some people died from the 'swim test.'