Crime in England and Wales 1500-1750 - 30 credits (HS1841)
Module Tutor: Dr Garthine Walker This Advanced Option explores
the nature of and attitudes to crime and punishment in early
modern England and Wales. Through a dialogue between intensive
primary source analysis and close readings of secondary
literature, we shall evaluate the assumptions that underpin the
history of crime. The range of unlawful activities covered
include murder and other homicides such as duelling, spousal
murder, and infanticide; property crimes from simple theft and
burglary to highway robbery and piracy; the speech crimes of
sexual slander, scolding, and sedition; witchcraft, and sexual
offences such as rape and sodomy. We may structure our
discussions of individual topics and their historiographies
around several connected themes. The most prevalent of these is
culpability: on what basis did early modern people ascribe guilt
or innocence to those prosecuted, and to what extent were
beliefs about full or partial culpability reflect