Urban Crime in Early Modern London - Report Example

Urban crime in early modern London: Social background of criminals who committed certain types of crimes For the purpose of this study, the crimes committed during the period 1715, City of London Sessions will be studied, discussed and analyzed. Introduction: One of the most notable crimes during the period of study, included theft and robbery; and one of the most prominent names which featured most notably during the period was that of Mary Nichols, alias Trolly Lolly. Mary Nichols was identified as a thief, and a burglar who turned to stealing primarily due to poverty and an urge to protect and feed her children. She regularly stole various kinds of goods, broke into houses to steal them, and often lied to escape conviction and punishment. She was extremely poor, which is perhaps one of the most prominent reasons for her crimes. She used the alias "Trolly Lolly" in an attempt to hide her previous convictions. She was described as a 30 year old woman, who came to London when she was fairly young, married a butcher and earned an honest living selling meat and other eatables on the streets of London. However during the year 1713, she turned to stealing, since she lived in extreme poverty, and was often mistreated by her husband. Thus in order to secure a safe livelihood for herself and her children, she took to stealing, robbery and burglary and committed various felonies during her lifetime. However, she was convicted for the crimes committed and on account of lack of proper evidence in her favour, was held guilty and charged with felony. She was hanged on 21st September 1715. Analysis of crimes: London, during the eighteenth century characterized a vibrant society which was abuzz with the introduction of world trade, the development of manufacturing industry, and a simultaneous rise in crime. During the year 1715, London underwent mixed feelings with regard to the socio-political status, characterized by enthusiasm and cheerfulness on account of crowning of the new King George I, on one hand and extreme economic unrest followed by the South Sea Bubble. Furthermore, there was a steady rise in the population, which further increased the rates of poverty and unemployment resulting in widespread destitution. The period marked the beginning of the "gin craze" in London, and was highly plagued with increased infant mortality rates, poor hygiene, cramped and inadequate living conditions, and constant migrations (Old Bailey Online, 2011). Thus, on account of this background, the types of criminal activity largely witnessed during the year 1715 (and most of the early eighteenth century) included theft, burglary, embezzlement, and prostitution to a certain extent. The incidences of murder were far and few in between, but a significant proportion of the criminal activities were aimed at amassing wealth. Most of the thefts and petty crimes such as pick-pocketing, involved women as well since they were mainly responsible for taking care of their children. The following table shows the various categories of crimes committed during the chosen period. This analysis is based on a careful study of the documents posted under “City of London sessions” on the London Lives project website. Table 1: Analysis of crime during the year 1715 Case# Date Description of the criminal Type of crime Other details 1 5th Aug, Male Theft Stole a horse 2 17th Dec Female Theft Stole a box with valuables worth more than hundred pounds 3 Jan, 1715 Female Pick-pocketing Mary Sound – a notorious pick-pocketer stole money at London bridge 4 20th Jan Male & Female Theft Stole stuff from an acquaintance and believed to have pawned the same at a higher price 5 Jan, 1715 Male Theft Stole sacks of mault, from someone’s house and sold them for a price 6 Jan, 1715 Female – Elizabeth Young, a single woman Theft Stole several times from several people and regularly sold it for a price 7 13th Feb Female Theft Francis Pitchell – a house maid, stole several bed sheets and pawned them for a price 8 16th Jan Male Forgery Fraudulently changed the amount on a banknote 9 31st May Male Theft Stole a mare and sold it 10 14th May Male Theft Stole money from an acquaintance house 11 11th May Male Theft Stole several pairs of boys shoes 12 3rd May Male Burglary The thief broke into a house and stole money, as well as jewels 13 3rd May Male Theft Repeatedly stole several pairs of men’s & women’s shoes, from his master, and divided the money with an accomplice 14 3rd May Male Homicide Involved in a physical brawl, used swords which eventually led to the death of the opponent 15 3rd May Male Embezzlement the accused skilfully altered the print on banknotes to change the amount 16 10th Dec Female Theft A prostitute – Mary Knight along with her accomplice Margaret Hopkins, stole money from a seaman On the basis of the above table, most of the crimes (11/16) stated as a part of this study were categorized as “theft” while the others fell under the category of Homicide (rare), embezzlement, and pick-pocketing (which could alternatively be classified as theft). Most of the crimes committed were on a small scale, and were not organized in nature. The individuals involved mostly robbed items which could be pawned or traded in the market in exchange for money. The cases studied, indicated that robbery on a grand scale, or theft of expensive items such as jewels or a bank heist were rare. The period studied, included a range of petty crimes ranging from small offences such as theft involving small amounts, to planned robberies, which involved theft of various goods, and in some cases livestock. Other crimes which were dominant in this era included prostitution, vagrancy, embezzlement and fraud. Most of the females involved in crimes were also identified to be involved in prostitution which was on the rise during this period in London. None of the crimes studied / analyzed as a part of this study involved thefts or robberies on a large scale such as bank robberies, or armed robberies. Most of the crimes committed were by individuals, or with one accomplice, and the robberies were executed single headedly, without causing any bodily harm or injury to the person involved. The use of weapons for robbery, or thefts was hardly noticed in any of the cases discussed above. Furthermore, the white collar crimes which are rampant in contemporary society were present during the early eighteenth century, albeit on a smaller scale. This was mainly executed in the form of embezzlements, fraud involving bank notes, non-payment of taxes, or levying higher taxes etc. The magnitude and scale of crime during the eighteenth century was starkly different as compared to those observed and experienced in the technologically savvy twenty first century. Also, most of the crimes were committed by people belonging to poor socio-economic backgrounds, while the rich were hardly involved in such crimes. This may be attributed to the stringent punishments for thefts, robbery or any other kinds of felonies, which included death by hanging. Thus the seriousness of the punishment may seem to have deterred a few criminals from committing such crimes. Analysis of criminals: On the basis of the cases researched as a part of this study, it was observed that most of the criminals were involved in crimes to escape poverty and death due to starvation. The criminals invariably belonged to economically poor backgrounds and were described as maids, servants, clerks, or out of work individuals, albeit with a few minor exceptions. A significant majority of the crimes committed were with an intention to earn basic livelihood, rather than leading a luxurious lifestyle. It is because of this reason that most of the criminals studied belonged to poor backgrounds rather than economically well-off ones. Most of the criminals included women, who were largely involved in various types of thefts – including pick-pocketing, and stealing petty items. The men were largely involved in burglary – i.e. forcibly breaking into people’s homes, with an intention to steal valuables. John Wright was one such criminal, who broke into a house and stole cash, and silver from the victims house (case# 12). Forced entry into houses with an intention to steal was common during this period, although the nature and extent of thefts varied significantly from stealing of livestock, to leather shoes, and valuables. None of such robberies reported however, involved any kind of physical harm or injury to the victim or any other person present at the crime scene. In most cases, the criminals admitted the crimes, and pleaded guilty. Another most rampant form of crime included embezzlement, and forgery. Those involved in such fraudulent practices, belonged to a relatively better off economic backgrounds, and were identified as adequately employed, as against the vast majority of criminals who were either out of work, or were extremely poor. The criminals, who fell under this category, mostly committed crimes involving forgery on banknotes, avoiding payment of taxes, claiming incapacity to pay taxes, charging unreasonable taxes, denying the payment due to unreasonable or false reasons etc. among many others. Most of the females involved in crimes were also involved in prostitution, and had more or less similar backgrounds. The women were either single or poor and had the sole responsibility of earning livelihood and ensuring safety of their children. Most of the cases, studied included women with similar description. Mary Knight for instance, was prostitute and a thief, who was forced into this profession due to circumstances - poverty and a bad marriage. She claimed to have joined the profession in order to avoid death from starvation. She was labelled a lewd woman and a night-walker, and was put to hard labour as punishment, however she continued to steal in order to avoid going back to being a prostitute. However, during the following year, in May 1716 she confessed to all her crimes and was eventually executed. Since the punishment was relatively severe during those times, as compared to the present era, most of the women charged with felonies “pleaded the bellies” i.e., claimed being pregnant to avoid execution. Conclusion: The responsibility to protect and safeguard the individuals and citizens from illegal acts and prevent unlawful activities lies solely with the government. The governance of crime and criminals, the effective policing in society and the appropriate administration of justice, law and order determines and shapes a nation and ensures success of the government. The discussions included as a part of this study indicate the various types of crimes committed by individuals during the early eighteenth century, and provide a glimpse of the structure and administration of society during the historical era. It further helps in assessing with conviction the role played by the social background of individuals in the types of crimes committed by them. This research helps in highlighting the strong relationship between one’s social background and the type of crime, and establishes with certainty the steps to be taken by administration in preventing such an occurrence. The early eighteenth century was plagued with various social evils, brought along with the advent of industrialization and fuelled by modernity. The rise in population, political strife, and constant and rapid changes in the society led to widespread poverty and unemployment, thus pushing people into the world of crime. Women were the most affected, which is apparent from the sheer number of cases registered against them and their involvement in a wide range of crimes ranging from pick-pocketing and petty theft to prostitution and fraudulent practices. The study of social background of criminals provides a meaningful insight into the psyche and attitudes of individuals belonging to certain socio-economic backgrounds, and their likelihood of involvement in certain specific types of crime, during the era. References: Old Bailey Online ORG (2011). London, 1715-1760: Historical background [Online] Available at: http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/London-life18th.jsp [Accessed: December 19, 2011] Read More