Crime and Punishment in England c.1688-1840 part 2

Module overview

This course will span the period c.1688-c.1840, beginning with the reforms of the criminal code introduced following the Glorious Revolution, known as the ‘Bloody Code’, and concluding in the mid-nineteenth century with the introduction of the police force under Peel and the first acts removing capital punishment from felonies. You will be asked to consider why the legal system moved away from capital punishment towards firstly the transportation and ultimately the imprisonment of felons and what led to the establishment of the police force. You will be introduced to a wide range of sources for examining the history of crime and punishment, both qualitative and quantitative. In looking at punishment, the ideas of Beccaria, Howard and Bentham will be examined in addition to prison and Home Office records. The material of Colquhoun and Peel form the basis of a consideration of early policing. A final component of the course will be to address modern representations of the history of crime and punishment through the watching of films and documentaries (ranging from Dick Turpin to Blackadder) to examine and deconstruct some of the myths that have grown up around the period and subject.

Linked modules

HIST3075

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

Changing attitudes towards punishment, in particular the move away from capital punishment to imprisonment.
The different forms of evidence available to historians for uncovering the histories of crime and punishment.
The nature and incidence of crime in the period and the extent to which historical research confirms the perceptions of contemporaries.
The changing structure of the criminal justice system between 1688 and 1840.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Learn to develop critical time management skills by handling several tasks competently at the same time.
Perform research with electronic media on a wide range of subjects.
Collect data and information, evaluate it, and integrate it in an essay.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Describe the changing patterns of criminal activity in the period 1688 to 1840.
Reflect upon the impact of the development of the police force - and changing penal policy in particular - with regard to the treatment of crime today.
Identify and engage with the most important historiographical texts on the subject.
Analyse a wide range of primary source material (including images), with regard to the specific context.
Make connections between Enlightenment theories and the development of the criminal justice system.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include - Two double sessions per week in seminar format with source interpretation and student presentations - Close analysis and interpretation of primary sources in different genres. - Essay workshops and tutorials Learning activities include - preparing introductory and background reading for each seminar - preparing oral presentations on specific aspects of the course - analysis, in groups and individually, of primary source materials Seminars will introduce you to the changing notions of crime and punishment through the long eighteenth century and provide you with the necessary research skills, such as: how to find and analyse secondary literature and also how to research, evaluate and use primary source material. The seminar environment will help to develop your interpersonal skills through the use of individual and group presentations. These will develop your knowledge and understanding of particular subject areas and enhance your oral communication skills. The preparation for presentations will help you to find an essay topic, narrow it down to a specific question and start to research sources and secondary materials relevant for it, to critically evaluate the contributions made by published secondary works and to develop a coherent written argument at length.

Study time
Type	Hours
Independent Study	260
Teaching	40
Total study time	300

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

British Newspapers 1600-1900 access through library website.

Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) access through library website.

Internet Resources

The Proceedings of the Old Bailey Online.

Textbooks

V. A. C. Gatrell (1984). The Hanging Tree: Execution and the English People, 1770-1868.

F. McLynn (1989). Crime and Punishment in Eighteenth Century England.

J. Briggs, C. Harrison, A. McInnes and D. Vincent (2001). Crime and Punishment in England: An Introductory History.

P. King (2000). Justice and Discretion in England, 1740-1820.

D. Hay, et al (1976). Albion’s Fatal Tree: Crime and Society in Eighteenth Century England.

J. Beattie (2001). Policing and Punishment in London, 1660-1750: Urban Crime and the Limits of Terror.

C. Emsley (1987). Crime and Society in England, 1750-1900.

J. S. Cockburn, ed (1977). Crime in England, 1550-1800.

J. Beattie (1986). Crime and the Courts in England, 1660-1800.

J. Sharpe (1984). Crime in Early Modern England, 1550-1750.

M. Gaskill (2002). Crime and Mentalities in Early Modern England.

D. Taylor (1998). Crime, Policing and Punishment in England, 1750-1914.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Written assignment	50%
Essay	50%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Written assignment	50%
Essay	50%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	50%
Written assignment	50%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External