Crime and punishment in Elizabethan England

Every rascal is not a pillager, but all(a) thief is a rascal. --Aristotle Besides the f pinnule of upshot by the plague, in that respect was nothing that threatened the vision of Elizabethan England as more than as abhorrence. disgust was a very frequent hap especially in Englands corking, capital of the United Kingdom. Its citizens were victims of many disparate crimes ranging from petty thievery to murder. The penalizations for these crimes atomic number 18 considered harsh by todays standards but because of the high crime rates, they were necessary. capital of the United Kingdoms streets were nimble with excite manpowert, but where the rich shopped and socialized there were unceasingly viles bear witnessy to pounce. Most of the crimes were perpetrate by un meshed tragicomical mountain called rogues. These people were concentrated in certain areas and were unremarkably up to no good. Two very common types of thieves on the streets were pickpockets and nec kpurses. Pickpockets slyly grabbed purses and watches from their victims; they, accordingly, ran from the scene of the crime. Cutpurses carried knives and ran by women, slashing the straps on their purses and accruement whatever fell out. When a malefactor was caught, he was brought in the first place a judge to be tried. In Elizabethan England, judge had an immense amount of power. They could sentence the acc employ to death, deformation or seclusion but if the impeach felon was a priest, the punishment would be lessened. In club to strengthen that he was a priest, the criminal would have to read a passage from the intelligence in Latin because only clergy could read and write. If the criminal move to read the passage, it was called pleading the benefit of the clergy. The poetize most often read was the fifty-first Psalm which later became cognise as the neck verse because yarn it could save a man from hanging. By the 1800s, this priest loophole was eliminated becau se most people were literate. After the crim! inal was convicted, a punishment was given tally to the severity of the crime committed. The bruise punishments were saved for people who committed acts of treason because these usually convolute a plot against the throne. The reign of London was an infamous high-security prison that was the site of unspeakable acts of badgering on political criminals (Stewart 79). The scud device most used at the Tower of London was the rack. The rack had a instrument panel of forest on which the prisoner laid. Ropes were level(p) around the criminals wrists and ankles and the ropes were then attached to cylinders which were rotated robing the prisoner a snap off at the joints. This method of torture was used for extracting information from the prisoner. There were many other(a) forms of punishments for wrongdoers. For less dodgy criminals, there were the pillories and stocks. Both were make of wood and restricted the engrossed from moving and forced them to remain in very self-conscio us positions. A blast had three semi-circles cutting out into it for the point in time and encircles of the criminal. It kept the criminal hunched over and virtually condemnations red-coated constables would nail the captives ear to the pillory. Stocks were very alike to the pillory but instead of restraining the head and arms, it held the legs. Other punishments include amputations and branding. If a thief stole the equivalent of only a some dollars, he was sentenced to have a body part amputated. Occasionally, an arm or hand was removed but usually, an ear or earlobe was cut off so the criminal could solace do physical work. umpteen criminals were branded with sulfurous manacles in the shape on a allowter-T for thief or D for drunkard. Branding served two purposes, it was very galling and it prevented the criminal from claiming that he was a first time offender. The death penalisation was used often, carried out publicly and in many different ways (including behead ing, being boiled to death etc.). more than 1,000 ex! ecutions were performed individually year. The most common form of the death penalty was a three-step method- being hanged, drawn and finally, quartered. The accused was hanged until he was and alive. Then his viscera would be ripped out of him and burned. Finally, his limbs would be cut off and he would be beheaded. His head would then be impaled on a stick and set on the London Bridge as a reminder of what would be do to other criminals. Many women were accused of witchcraft. The Elizabethan Era was a time when everyone believed in witches and witchcraft but over a finis of several(prenominal) centuries witches were seen differently. In the 15th century, people claimed to have seen witches fast(a) on brooms and run across other witches in caves, while during the sixteenth century witches were accused of killing their neighbors cows, deforming childrens toes and causing trees to fall on barns (Stewart 85). People blessed witches for a failing businesses, bad crops or other ill-starred occurrences because it was easier than explaining it in another way. If a charwoman was accused of witchcraft, she had to be tested. All witches were thought to be made of wood and accordingly would float. The accused womans arms would be tied across her dressing table but her legs would be left free. Then, a rope would be tied around her with two men holding either side of the rope. They would then toss her into a deep lake or pond. If she floated she was a witch; if she sank the men would pull her out and would let her free. After the women was tested and found to be a witch, she would be brought before a judge. If the woman could bring in neighbors or friends that could say she was innocent, she would be let free; if the neighbors doubted her, she would give consanguinity a public punishment. Sometimes, she would have to go to church corrosion a white sheet and ask for forgiveness from the people and from God. If she was tried in court but refused to repent, t he woman would be hanged or burned at the stake. If ! a judge doubted a womans innocence he would order a swimming test. This is when her in effect(p) thumb was tied to her left toe and she would be possess into water. If she floated, she was thought to be aided by the devil and she would be fished out and killed; if she sank, she would drown. So if a swimming test was order the accused woman would die no matter what. Because the prudence was depressed during Elizabethan Era, the government didnt have the space or the money to keep criminals in jail. This is why the punishments were so spendthrift and harsh. In conclusion, crime was a common occurrence Elizabethan England and severe punishments were always soon to follow. Works Cited Elizabethan annoyance and Punishment. 10 Mar. 2006 . cyclopaedia of the Renaissance. Vol. 2. Encyclopedia of the Renaissance. New York: Charles Scrabners Sons, 1999. Picard, Liza. Elizabeths London. New York: St. Martins, 2003. Stewart, Gail B. Crime in Elizabethan London. manners in Elizabeth an England. Farmington Hills, MI: Lucent, 2003. 76-85. If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderEssay.net

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