Crime was Rampant During the Victorian Age in England

754 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Victorian child labor

The Victorian Age in England was a time when crime was rampant, people were starving, and life was generally difficult. In these times, there were really only two social classes, the upper class, and the lower class. Everyone in the lower class had troubles, but children had it the hardest. While most everyone had a difficult life, it was worst for children; forcing them towards crime and leading them into the arms of prison.

People who are starving and poor turn to crime to survive. Joyce Salisbury and Andrew Kersten state, “because families in the working class were generally large, more often than not, there was little to no food” (Salisbury and Kersten, Law and Crime in Victorian England). Children in these families would try to steal either money to buy food, or just steal small articles of food like a slice of bread. Stealing was the most common crime in Victorian England because most of the stolen goods were food. Because children were considered morally responsible when they reached the age of seven, children got in trouble quickly, and their actions often had dire consequences (Salisbury and Kersten, Law and crime in Victorian England). Children had the weight of their actions on their shoulders at such a young age, and whatever they did stuck with them until they grew older and later died. “There were two categories of crime: indictable and summary” (Salisbury and Kersten, Law and crime in Victorian England). Indictable crimes, major crimes, consisted of murder, rape, burglary, larceny, and fraud. Less dramatic crimes were called summary crimes. Summary crimes included public drunkenness, vandalism, poaching, and petty theft. Children partook mostly in summary crimes, with a few cases of indictable crim...

... middle of paper ...

...t jobs because of education, although it was limited (Salisbury and Kersten, Law in Crime in Victorian England).

Although the modern day view of the Victorian Age is one of ornate houses and prosperous times, the reality was for most people times were difficult. The people who suffered the most were the least fortunate, meaning children in poor families. As a result, these children of the poor were pushed into a life of crime which quite often the consequences were a life in prison.

Works Cited

Salisbury, Joyce E. and Andrew E. Kersten. "Food & Drink in Victorian England." Daily Life through History. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

Salisbury, Joyce and Andrew Kersten. "Law and Crime in Victorian England." Daily Life through History. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

Swisher, Clarice. Victorian England. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. Print

Show More
Related

  • Old Bailey Records Case Study

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    This account of Mary Brown provides historians with insight into the social and legal practices of the 18th century. This case identifies the social unrest and anxiety regarding the popularity of theft, and in this case shoplifting. This case reiterates this units themes, including, the gendering of crime. London society believed shoplifter most often to be women. The Old Bailey records, reaffirm the notion of gendered crime, and that women were more often than men accused and convicted of shoplifting. However,

    Read More

  • The Ordinary Of Newgate's Account Summary

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    Crimes was mostly committed by the lower class, the ones who were poor and unable to work. The working class however were not thieves because they are able to afford the necessities of life. Highwaymen, murder, and theft of property were all common crimes committed by males unlike females whose crimes were infanticide, prostitution, and theft. The Ordinary of Newgate’s Account describes how “William Spiggot was indicted for four several Robberies on the High-Way, and found Guilty, with Thomas Cross otherwise Phillips, and William Burrows” (Ordinary’s Account, 4). As described in the lectures those offences were considered crimes without qualification because they were crimes with victims. Social crime was considered a victimless crime, and has no capital punishment tied to it. Highwaymen were hanged for their crimes because they robbed on the King’s highway and that was considered a capital crime. Crimes committed by people like Ethrinton Wrathan who “was condemned…for breaking open the Warehouse of John Hide, Esq; and taking thence 1080 Yards of Sail-Cloth, value £90.” (Ordinary’s Account, 4) This offence was punishable by death due to the reason that any crime over a shilling was a capital crime. Crime was considered a bad path to go on due to the reason that it was easy to commit crime again once that path was

    Read More

  • Experiences of British Home Children in Canada

    1436 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the mid-19th century, Britain was facing problems of over populated cities. Life for the poor class was incredibly difficult. To survive, children as young as _____ had to find work to bring in money for food and shelter. In such families young children were seen as a burden and older ones as a source of income. Oftentimes unexpected circumstances such as sickness would leave families unable to support themselves. Orphaned children took to the streets or were put in parishes by closest kin which were not much better than the streets. Slowly people started to take notice of their plight. Both newly formed and pre-established philanthropic agencies began bringing in children and apprenticing them. Homes like Barnardo, Rye, and Macpherson Homes were set up all over Britain to accommodate them. Hundreds of families would admit their own children to the Homes when they could no longer provide for them. With this overwhelming response, the child savers soon had more children than they could handle; they began searching for a place to send them.

    Read More

  • Elizabethan Era Punishment

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    Crime varied according to class. Because the Upper class consisted of wealthy and educated people, their crime would often be in political scheme and matters of religion. Common crimes of the Upper class included: blasphemy, rebellion, and witchcraft. Until Queen Elizabeth, no one could be killed for witchcraft because it was not a capital offense ("Elizabethan Crime and Punishment" 1). Crimes of treason and offenses against the state were treated with the same harshness has murder("Elizabethan Crime and Punishment" 1). The type of crime committed depended on the person who committed it. Crimes committed by Commoners were through pure desperation and poverty. Common crimes committed by them included: theft, begging, and adultery ("Elizabethan Crime and Punishment" 1). It became a crime to be poor when the government passed Poor Laws. These laws were passed because the Queen was worried that the large numbers of unemployed homeless people would bring a threat to law and order("Elizabethan Crime and Punishment" 1). Not all poor people were the problem, it was the ones who were armed and roamed around the streets begging and stealing. The Elizabethan Era was a period of disorderly society, where even the smallest crime was punished with sizable pain by way of torture, and sometimes

    Read More

  • London's Social Class in Robert Louis Stevenson Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    One Victorian sentiment was that a civilized individual could be determined by her/his appearance. This notion was readily adopted by the upper classes and, among other things, helped shape their views of the lower classes, who certainly appeared inferior to them. In regards to social mobility, members of the upper classes may have (through personal tragedy or loss) often moved to a lower-class status, but rarely did one see an individual move up from the abysmal lower class. Although poverty could be found almost anywhere in Victorian London (one could walk along a street of an affluent neighborhood, turn the corner, and find oneself in an area of depravity and decay), most upper-class Londoners, who tended to dwell in the West End, associated the East End with the lower class.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Morality In Victorian England

    207 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Victorian Era was under the Anglican Church. England was very religious, that they go to church twice every Sunday, and read the Bible. Religion was behind everything; they viewed the Bible as their foundation of moral behavior. They also believed that if all accepted “religion”, the morality would end the crime and poverty. Furthermore, Victorian education mostly focused on Religion

    Read More

  • Morality In The 19th Century

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    Religion was a huge part and shaped what people believed. It gave them a different mindset or gave them a set of values that they went by. Also the etiquette completely changed the way Victorian England was. It made everyone very proper and gave the idea that all manners must be at the top of their game. Everyone must being wearing their best clothes and should always remember what is considered proper for them. Also, Victorians believed in self responsibility. Self responsibility ties into etiquette but it really had a big effect on the way people thought, felt, and acted in

    Read More

  • African American & Societys Influence

    2064 Words  | 5 Pages

    Until the late 19th century, children were tried in criminal courts with adults. According to common law, the law regarded children under the age of seven, as still in the infancy stage of moral development, while those over the age of fourteen, were morally developed and thus responsible for criminal offenses.

    Read More

  • What Was The Difference Between The Juvenile Courts And The Adult Courts?

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the early 19th century, people would consider children as young adults, and it was expected from them to behave appropriately and not as a criminal. As early as 7 years

    Read More

  • The Canadian Juvenile Justice System

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before 1908, the nature of the developing society caused children at risk to commit crimes. In nineteenth century and even early of twentieth, there were many orphaned and negected children in the society. They came from Europe or other colonies and they could lose their parent during long time trip. The doli incapax defence, "the incapacity to do wrong" - children who under the age of seven (in some cases, the maximum was 13) were incapable to commit crime, was initially presumed. It misled that youth could be innocent when charged in every case. However, children could have the same intelligence as adults to know the consequences of doing wrong things. Thus, children who were convicted of criminal would face the same penalties and were treated as adult offenders (The evolution of, 2009, p1). However, sometimes, penalties went beyond justice – these children would receive harsh punishment for minor criminal acts.

    Read More

  • Early Cases in Homicide

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pollock, F., & Maitland, F.W. (2012). The history of English law before the time of Edward 1: Crimes and torts. Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund.

    Read More

  • Orphans in 19th Century Victorian England

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Victorian Era was a time of social evolution as well as technological and economic advance. A distinct, unique middle class was formed alongside the traditional working class and wealthy aristocracy. However, there were certain individuals that fell outside this model of Victorian society. The “abandoned child” was society’s scapegoat- a person without a past, without connections, without status. They could appear in any class, at any time. The upper and middle classes often had a somewhat romantic perception of them, due to their prevalence in Victorian literature. Novels like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights made heroines/heroes out of orphans, portraying them as respectable yet troubled (Cunningham,“Orphan Texts”). However, orphans were also often treated with disdain and distrust, due to their reputation as “criminally prone” individuals. They were a victim of classic “Victorian contradictions” that characterized most aspects of Victorian society.

    Read More

  • Cooking Through The Times: Restoration And Enlightenment Era

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    Levick, Ben. “Food And Drink.” regia.org. Regia Anglorum. Regia Anglopum: Experience the Past, 10 Dec. 2002. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

    Read More

  • “How Do I Love Thee?” Understanding the Victorian Era Through Browning and Stickney Ellis

    1181 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Victorian Era in English history was a period of rapid change. One would be hard-pressed to find an aspect of English life in the 19th century that wasn’t subject to some turmoil. Industrialization was transforming the citizens into a working class population and as a result, it was creating new urban societies centered on the factories. Great Britain enjoyed a time of peace and prosperity at home and thus was extending its global reach in an era of New Imperialism. Even in the home, the long held beliefs were coming into conflict.

    Read More

  • Victorian Events Of The Victorian Er Queen Victoria

    1891 Words  | 4 Pages

    The time period called the Victorian Era was named after Queen Victoria who ruled from 1837 to 1901. (“Late Victorian Politics” 1). The Era lasted the duration of her reign. She was born in 1819 and crowned in 1837 (“Victorian Events” 1). Queen Victoria married Prince Albert who was her first cousin and had nine children (“Victorian Events” 1). At the age of 42, Prince Albert passed away (“Victorian Events” 2). The couple had only been married for 21 years. Consequently, she spends the rest of her coronation single. Celebrations of her reign occur in 1887 and 1897; they were called the Golden Jubilee and the Diamond Jubilee, respectively (“Victorian Events” 4-5). In 1901, Queen Victoria passed away at the age of 82 (“Victorian Events” 5). The prosperous Victorian Era consisted of a monarchy, three divisions of social class, inequality between men and women, dynamic clothing, different ways to relax, influential inventions, and significant events.

    Read More

More about Crime was Rampant During the Victorian Age in England

Open Document