Crime and Punishment / 1500-1700

Crime and Punishment: Towns and Crime

Bigger towns created more chances for theft and fraud in the Early Modern period.

What To Remember

Population growth meant towns became larger, busier and more anonymous.
More wealth, shops and businesses created more opportunities for theft, robbery and fraud.
Towns also attracted jobseekers, and unemployment could push some migrants into crime.

Bigger towns

England's population roughly doubled between 1500 and 1700, and more people lived in towns.

In a crowded street or marketplace it was easier for a thief to pass unnoticed than in a small village where everyone knew each other.

This weakened the older community-based style of law enforcement.

Why theft and fraud grew

Town life put more valuable goods in homes, workshops, shops and warehouses.

Growing numbers of businesses created more chances for fraud, such as cheating customers or employers.

Visible differences between rich and poor also made wealthy people and businesses obvious targets.

Work seekers

Many people moved to towns hoping to find work.

If they failed, they might have no family, parish support or reliable wages to survive on.

That links town growth to vagabondage as well as theft: poverty, movement and anonymity all made crime harder to control.

Why did bigger towns create more chances for crime?