Nature and changing definitions of criminal activity Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

What was heresy?

Holding religious beliefs that differed from the official religion of the country. It was a crime against authority because it challenged the authority of the Church.

True or false? The nature of theft changed greatly in the years c1500–c1700.

False. Theft continued in much the same form — pickpocketing, robbery and burglary of money and personal possessions.

What was vagabondage?

Wandering from place to place without work, begging or stealing. It was defined as a crime in the sixteenth century because 'masterless men' were outside the normal controls of society.

Give one reason witchcraft was defined as a crime in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Religious change and political unrest made people fear challenges to authority, so laws were passed treating witchcraft as a crime against authority.

How did the 1547 Vagrancy Act punish able-bodied people without work?

They could be branded with a 'V' and enslaved for two years. The law proved impossible to enforce and was soon repealed.

How did the 1601 Poor Law treat the 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor differently?

The deserving poor (such as the old and disabled) received help from their parish; the undeserving poor (those fit to work) could be whipped or sent to a house of correction.

Which monarch first made witchcraft punishable by death, and in what year?

Henry VIII, in 1542. James I's Witchcraft Act of 1604 later extended the death penalty to anyone who called up evil spirits.