There were many beggars on the roads and a large number found their way
into the towns; some of these turned to crime–organised crime began to be
recorded. The population of London rose from 60,000 in 1520 to 500,000 by
1700, many of whom were displaced peasants, refugees from various religious
and political conflicts in Europe, soldiers and sailors released from service
who did not want to return to the countryside, itinerant traders, carters, and so
on–a mobile and thrusting community.
There was no proper police force except for the constables, who were locals
serving a oneyear term, and the nightwatchmen, and there was a lack of
holding facilities–early in the Tudor period, the Mayor of London had to
order each area to build a prison house for beggars and vagabonds detained in
their streets. Long term correctional prisons did not begin to appear until
- Houses of Correction, where the inmates were put to work, were often
called‘Bridewells’, after the first one in London, founded in 1553. This first
institution was intended to house homeless children in the City, and to punish
vagrants. There were also no facilities for relief of the poor and homeless, a
function that had once been at least partially undertaken by the religious
houses.
In the countryside, it was the justices of the peace, usually local landowners,
who oversaw most criminal prosecutions, acting as judges at the sessions held
once a quarter and imposing penalties. Minor cases and some religious
infringements were still heard in manor and church courts. Serious cases went
to the assize courts. There was no overall system, and the mechanisms of law
varied from county to county. Jury trial figures for the county of Essex during
the reign of Elizabeth I show that theft and burglary were the most common
serious offences there, followed by murder and witchcraft. Some cases, of
course, went to higher courts–treason and offences to do with the outlawing
of religious practices. These included new crimes–the saying of the Mass, for
example, or refusing to attend Mass, depending on the dominant religious
complexion of the period.
Laws against vagrants, or ‘sturdy beggars’, included draconian
punishments. A law of 1531 recommended that a vagrant should be tied
naked to a cart’s tail and whipped until he was covered with blood. Poor
Laws were enacted, dividing vagrants into those who needed care, and those
who were regarded as lazy or venal. The latter were to be punished and
returned to the parish from which they originally came. In 1547 the
Vagrancy Act dictated that beggars should be whipped, branded and forced
into work. A number of strict new laws became known as the Bloody Code–
many more crimes now carried the death penalty. Other physical
EARLY MODERN CRIME