EDEXCEL GCSE HISTORY · PAPER 1 · CRIME & PUNISHMENT
New Crimes and the Tolpuddle Martyrs
c1700-c1900 · Chapter 3: Crime and punishment in Britain, c1700-c1900, c1700-c1900 · Lesson 2 of 4
Learning Objectives
1. Explain why smuggling, highway robbery and poaching increased, and why they declined.
2. Explain why some of these were seen as "social crimes".
3. Explain why the Tolpuddle Martyrs were punished so harshly, and why they were pardoned.
Setting the Scene
Some crimes of the 1700s and 1800s were not new actions, but they became far more common or were treated far more seriously. Many were seen by ordinary people as social crimes - illegal, but not really wrong. Others were created because the authorities feared that working people were becoming too organised.
1723 - The Black Act makes poaching in disguise punishable by death. | 1739 - Highwayman Dick Turpin is hanged at York. | 1740s - The Hawkhurst Gang of smugglers terrorises the south coast. | 1784 - The government cuts the tax on tea, making smuggling less profitable. | 1834 - Six Dorset farm labourers - the Tolpuddle Martyrs - are transported. | 1836 - The Tolpuddle Martyrs are pardoned.
Three Crimes of the Period
Each rose for its own reasons - and fell for its own reasons.
|
Crime |
Why it rose |
Why it declined |
|---|---|---|
|
Smuggling |
High import taxes on tea, brandy and tobacco made smuggled goods very profitable |
The government cut import taxes from the 1780s, so smuggling paid less |
|
Highway robbery |
Travellers carried cash on quiet, unlit roads out of towns |
Better roads, more traffic, mounted patrols and the use of banknotes and banks |
|
Poaching |
Rural poverty, and harsh Game Laws that let only landowners hunt |
Remained common; the Black Act and later laws kept punishments severe |
Social Crimes
Crimes that many ordinary people did not see as really wrong.
▸ Smuggling. Many people bought cheap smuggled tea and brandy, and whole communities helped hide goods from the customs men.
▸ Poaching. Villagers believed wild animals belonged to everyone, and poached to feed their families.
▸ Why it mattered. Because communities protected smugglers and poachers, they were hard to catch and harder to convict.
▸ The authorities' view. Landowners and the government saw these as serious threats to property and tax income.
The Black Act, 1723
One law added dozens of new capital crimes.
▸ What it did. Made over 50 offences punishable by death, including poaching deer while in disguise.
▸ The "Blacks". It was aimed at gangs who blackened their faces to poach in royal forests.
▸ Why. Landowners in Parliament wanted to protect their land, game and property.
▸ Significance. It was a key part of the Bloody Code, and shows the law being used to protect the wealthy.
Case Study
|
CASE STUDY The Tolpuddle Martyrs, 1834 In 1834 six farm labourers from Tolpuddle in Dorset, led by George Loveless, formed a union to protest against cuts to their wages. Trade unions were legal, but the men had sworn a secret oath, and they were convicted under the Unlawful Oaths Act of 1797. They were sentenced to seven years transportation to Australia. The harsh sentence caused huge protests: a petition with around 800,000 signatures and a mass march in London. In 1836 the men were pardoned, and they later returned home. |
|
7 years Their sentence of transportation |
800,000 Signatures on the petition calling for their release |
Why Were They Punished So Harshly?
The authorities wanted to send a message.
▸ Fear of revolution. The French Revolution had shown what could happen when working people organised against the ruling class.
▸ Unrest. The Swing Riots of 1830 had seen farm labourers smash machinery across southern England.
▸ Deterrence. A harsh sentence was meant to stop other workers forming unions.
▸ Why pardoned. Public protest showed the sentence was seen as unjust, and the government backed down.
Key Terms
|
Social crime A crime many people do not see as really wrong, such as smuggling or poaching. |
Smuggling Bringing goods into the country secretly to avoid paying import taxes. |
|
Highway robbery Robbing travellers on the road, often at gunpoint. |
Poaching Hunting animals on someone else's land without permission. |
|
Black Act A 1723 law making over 50 offences, including poaching in disguise, punishable by death. |
Tolpuddle Martyrs Six Dorset labourers transported in 1834 for swearing a secret union oath. |
|
Trade union An organisation of workers that campaigns for better pay and conditions. |
|
Summary
✓ Smuggling, highway robbery and poaching rose for different reasons.
✓ Smuggling and poaching were social crimes, protected by communities.
✓ Smuggling declined when taxes were cut; highway robbery when travel became safer.
✓ The Tolpuddle Martyrs were transported in 1834 to deter unions, then pardoned in 1836.
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EXAM FOCUS Explain why the Tolpuddle Martyrs were punished so harshly in 1834. (12 marks) Explain the authorities' fears - revolution, unrest, unions - not just what the men did. |