Crime, prosecution and social relations : the summary courts of the City of London in the late eighteenth century

## List of Abbreviations xi First I would like to thank Peter King for his invaluable help and advice both in the writing of this book and for supervising my doctoral thesis. His guidance, faith and attention to detail leave me a debt I will find hard to discharge; a supervisor is truly for life, not just for Christmas! I have also received encouragement and advice from a great number of people over the years. My colleagues at the University of Northampton have all been very supportive, in particular Matthew McCormack, Cathy Smith and Sally Sokoloff. I am also grateful to Offers a fascinating view of the social history of Georgian London through the workings of the Summary courts. By analyzing the summary proceedings and the use of the law by ordinary citizens - to prosecute theft, violence and resolve disputes - this study represents an important addition to our understanding of the criminal justice system. Crime, Prosecution and Social Relations offers a fascinating view of the social history of Georgian London through the hitherto neglected prism of the Summary courts. This study looks at how rich and poor Londoners used these courts to prosecute those that assaulted or stole from them; to negotiate better working conditions; and to punish prostitutes, vagrants and disorderly apprentices. It argues that while most previous work on crime has focused on the courts of assize and quarter session, and on offences that attracted sentences of hanging and transportation, it was at Summary level that most people experienced the law in this period. This is the first monograph to deal exclusively with the nature and role of summary proceedings in England in the long eighteenth century within the context of the social history of crime and the criminal justice system and therefore represents an important addition to our understanding of this area of history Front Matter....Pages i-xii Introduction....Pages 1-12 Locating the Summary Courts....Pages 13-34 Policing and Personnel: Constables and the Watching System....Pages 35-66 Property Offending in the City of London....Pages 67-91 Settling their Differences: The Prosecution of Interpersonal Violence....Pages 92-115 Regulating the Streets....Pages 116-135 Quelling the Smithfield Yahoos: Bullock-hunting on the Streets of London....Pages 136-147 The Regulation of Trade and Poverty....Pages 148-166 The People’s Courts?....Pages 167-174 Back Matter....Pages 175-228 "Offers a fascinating view of the social history of Georgian London through the workings of the Summary courts. By analyzing the summary proceedings and the use of the law by ordinary citizens - to prosecute theft, violence and resolve disputes - this study represents an important addition to our understanding of the criminal justice system"--Provided by publisher NL-ZmNBD