Crime and Law in England, 1750–1840: Remaking Justice from the Margins (Past and Present Publications)

How was law made in England in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries? Through detailed studies of what the courts actually did, Peter King argues that parliament and the Westminster courts played a less important role in the process of law making than is usually assumed. Justice was often remade from the margins by magistrates, judges and others at the local level. His book also focuses on four specific themes - gender, youth, violent crime and the attack on customary rights. In doing so it highlights a variety of important changes - the relatively lenient treatment meted out to women by the late eighteenth century, the early development of the juvenile reformatory in England before 1825, i.e. before similar changes on the continent or in America, and the growing intolerance of the courts towards everyday violence. This study is invaluable reading to anyone interested in British political and legal history. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Preface......Page 11 Figures......Page 14 Tables......Page 16 1. Shaping and remaking justice from the margins. The courts, the law and patterns of lawbreaking 1750–1840......Page 19 I......Page 21 II......Page 28 III......Page 32 IV......Page 40 V......Page 53 VI......Page 57 VII......Page 70 VIII......Page 79 Part I Juveniles......Page 89 2. The rise of juvenile delinquency in England 1780–1840: changing patterns of perception and prosecution......Page 91 I......Page 93 II......Page 108 III......Page 119 IV......Page 129 3. The punishment of juvenile offenders in the English courts 1780–1830. Changing attitudes and policies......Page 132 I......Page 135 II......Page 138 III......Page 141 IV......Page 147 V......Page 150 VI......Page 156 VII......Page 157 4. The making of the reformatory. The development of informal reformatory sentences for juvenile offenders 1780–1830......Page 160 I......Page 161 II......Page 165 III......Page 173 IV......Page 178 Part II Gender......Page 181 5. Gender, crime and justice in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century England......Page 183 I......Page 184 II......Page 195 III......Page 204 6. Gender and recorded crime. The long-term impact of female offenders on prosecution rates across England and Wales 1750–1850......Page 214 I......Page 217 II......Page 225 III......Page 230 IV......Page 232 V......Page 237 Part III Non-lethal violence......Page 243 7. Punishing assault: the transformation of attitudes in the English courts......Page 245 I......Page 246 II......Page 250 III......Page 254 IV......Page 258 V......Page 261 VI......Page 267 8. Changing attitudes to violence in the Cornish courts 1730–1830......Page 273 I......Page 275 II......Page 286 III......Page 293 Part IV The attack on customary rights......Page 297 9. Legal change, customary right, and social conflict in late eighteenth-century England: the origins of the Great Gleaning Case of 1788......Page 299 I......Page 302 II......Page 306 III......Page 308 IV......Page 310 V......Page 316 VI......Page 319 VII......Page 323 10. Gleaners, farmers and the failure of legal sanctions in England 1750–1850......Page 326 I......Page 328 II......Page 332 III......Page 339 IV......Page 344 V......Page 347 VI......Page 350 VII......Page 351 Index......Page 357 How was law made in England in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries? Through detailed studies of what the courts actually did, Peter King argues that parliament and the Westminster courts played a less important role in the process of law making than is usually assumed. Justice was often remade from the margins by magistrates, judges and others at the local level. His book also focuses on four specific themes - gender, youth, violent crime and the attack on customary rights. In doing so it highlights a variety of important changes - the relatively lenient treatment meted out to women by the late eighteenth century, the early development of the juvenile reformatory in England before 1825, i.e. before similar changes on the continent or in America, and the growing intolerance of the courts towards everyday violence. This study will prove invaluable reading to anyone interested in British political and legal history. How was law made in England in the 18th and early 19th centuries? Peter King argues that parliament and the Westminster courts played a less important role in the process of law making than is usually assumed Peter King. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.