About this ebook
A history of criminal justice—from bigamy and body snatching to fraud and murder. “Offers a fascinating insight into the social conditions of the time” (Crime Review).
From the woman who steals a cloak, to the highwayman and the middle-class forger, this book allows us a glimpse of the rich mix of criminals, their crimes, and sentences in early nineteenth-century Britain.
With no statutory right of appeal against either the verdict or sentence at this time, the prisoner’s only hope for relief was to petition the Crown for mercy via the Home Office, and with sentences including death and transportation, the stakes were high. The petitioner’s objective was to prove the prisoner worthy of mercy, usually by establishing their respectability, and it is upon these petitions this book draws.
Many of the thousands of petitions, held by the National Archives in Kew, reveal fascinating incidental information about the prisoner’s personal life or circumstances that cannot be found in other records. The supporting documentation, witness depositions or character references, often give us rare details of everyday routines, working conditions, illnesses, relationships, and life in a locality.
As cases are followed in this book, some far beyond the Home Secretary’s decision, the criminals, supporters, prosecutors and judiciary are brought to life, occasionally with surprising results. Read as individual cases, each subject is fascinating; viewed together, the collection reveals a unique, intimate, and vivid insight into life in 1820s and 1830s Britain.
“Open[s] up a level of detail of the crimes committed and the life of what was often the ordinary working man and women.” —Police History Society
From the woman who steals a cloak, to the highwayman and the middle-class forger, this book allows us a glimpse of the rich mix of criminals, their crimes, and sentences in early nineteenth-century Britain.
With no statutory right of appeal against either the verdict or sentence at this time, the prisoner’s only hope for relief was to petition the Crown for mercy via the Home Office, and with sentences including death and transportation, the stakes were high. The petitioner’s objective was to prove the prisoner worthy of mercy, usually by establishing their respectability, and it is upon these petitions this book draws.
Many of the thousands of petitions, held by the National Archives in Kew, reveal fascinating incidental information about the prisoner’s personal life or circumstances that cannot be found in other records. The supporting documentation, witness depositions or character references, often give us rare details of everyday routines, working conditions, illnesses, relationships, and life in a locality.
As cases are followed in this book, some far beyond the Home Secretary’s decision, the criminals, supporters, prosecutors and judiciary are brought to life, occasionally with surprising results. Read as individual cases, each subject is fascinating; viewed together, the collection reveals a unique, intimate, and vivid insight into life in 1820s and 1830s Britain.
“Open[s] up a level of detail of the crimes committed and the life of what was often the ordinary working man and women.” —Police History Society
About the author
Educated at both Warwick and London University (Bedford College), Alison spent many years working for BBC Television before becoming a writer. At the BBC she was an award-winning drama producer as well as having roles in drama-related management. She has been a volunteer cataloguer/editor at the National Archives in Kew since 2011, and is part of the Local History Research Group currently working on the Criminal Petitions for Mercy project. She is currently working on a portfolio of non-fiction and fiction projects, independently and as part of a team. Alison lives in Sussex and is a long-term supporter of Arsenal FC.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
