Table Of ContentWorld Histories of Crime, Culture and Violence
THE BLOODY CODE IN
ENGLAND AND WALES,
1760–1830
John Walliss
World Histories of Crime, Culture and Violence
Series Editors
Marianna Muravyeva
University of Tampere
Tampere, Finland
Raisa Maria Toivo
University of Tampere
Tampere, Finland
Palgrave’s World Histories of Crime, Culture and Violence seeks to pub-
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John Walliss
The Bloody Code
in England and Wales,
1760–1830
John Walliss
Liverpool Hope University
Liverpool, UK
World Histories of Crime, Culture and Violence
ISBN 978-3-319-74560-2 ISBN 978-3-319-74561-9 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74561-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017964573
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For my parents, Pat and Gerry Walliss
A
cknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the generous support of the Historic
Society of Lancashire and Cheshire for provided me with funding for
two visits to the National Archives. The Faculty of Arts and Humanities,
Liverpool Hope University also provided funding so that I could visit the
National Library of Wales.
vii
c
ontents
1 Introduction 1
Part I England
2 The Criminal Justice Process in Georgian England 13
3 “The Lottery of Justice”: The Bloody Code in England,
1760–1830 51
Part II Wales
4 Crime and Justice in the Courts of Great Sessions:
The Brecon Circuit 1760–1830 89
5 A Land of White Gloves? Life and Death in Georgian
Wales 125
6 Conclusion 165
Index 175
ix
l f
ist of igures
Fig. 2.1 a The number of persons indicted at the Cornwall county
assizes, 1760–1830 (n 2028). b The number of persons
=
indicted at the Kent county assizes, 1760–1830 (n 9538).
=
c The number of persons indicted at the Lancashire county
assizes, 1760–1830 (n 4733). d The number of persons
=
indicted at the Oxfordshire assizes, 1760–1830 (n 1731) 15
=
Fig. 2.2 The mean annual number of indictments for property
offences during peace and war at four English county assizes,
1760–1830 21
Fig. 2.3 a The number of persons indicted for property offences
at the Cornwall county assizes, 1760–1830 (years of war
highlighted). b The number of persons indicted for property
offences at the Kent county assizes, 1760–1830 (years of war
highlighted). c The number of persons indicted for property
offences at the Lancashire county assizes, 1760–1830 (years
of war highlighted). d The number of persons indicted
for property offences at the Oxfordshire assizes, 1760–1830
(years of war highlighted) 22
Fig. 2.4 a The number of persons indicted for property offences
at the Cornwall county assizes in comparison with consumer
prices, 1760–1822. b The number of persons indicted
for property offences at the Kent county assizes in comparison
with consumer prices, 1760–1822. c The number of persons
indicted for property offences at the Lancashire county assizes
in comparison with consumer prices, 1760–1822.
d The number of persons indicted for property offences
xi
xii LIST OF FIGURES
at the Oxfordshire county assizes in comparison with consumer
prices, 1760–1822 30
Fig. 2.5 The percentage of males and females indicted at four English
county assizes, 1760–1830 38
Fig. 2.6 The mean percentage of female offenders indicted
in four English county assizes, 1760–1830 compared
with the Old Bailey 40
Fig. 3.1 a The number and percentage of persons executed
at the Cornwall county assizes, 1760–1830. b The number
and percentage of persons executed at the Kent county
assizes, 1760–1830. c The number and percentage
of persons executed at the Lancashire county assizes,
1760–1830. d The number and percentage of persons
executed at the Oxfordshire county assizes, 1760–1830 57
Fig. 3.2 The mean annual number of executions at the Old Bailey
and in four English counties, 1760–1830 59
Fig. 3.3 Mean annual number of sentences of death for property
offences per 100,000 population at four English county
assizes, 1760–1830 73
Fig. 3.4 The mean annual number of executions for property
offences at four English county assizes, in the 1760s,
1780s, 1800s, and 1820s 74
Fig. 4.1 a The number of persons indicted at the Breconshire
Courts of Great Sessions, 1760–1830 (n 1324).
=
b The number of persons indicted at the Glamorganshire
Courts of Great Sessions, 1760–1830 (n 1843).
=
c The number of persons indicted at the Radnorshire
Courts of Great Sessions, 1760–1830 (n 1274) 94
=
Fig. 4.2 The mean annual number of indictments for property
offences during years of peace and war at the Brecon
Courts of Great Sessions, 1760–1830 97
Fig. 4.3 a The number of persons indicted for property offences
at the Breconshire Court of Great Sessions, 1760–1830
(years of war highlighted). b The number of persons indicted
for property offences at the Glamorganshire Court of Great
Sessions, 1760–1830 (years of war highlighted). c The number
of persons indicted for property offences at the Radnorshire
Court of Great Sessions, 1760–1830 (years of war highlighted) 99
Fig. 4.4 a The number of persons indicted for property offences
at the Breconshire Court of Great Sessions in comparison
with consumer prices, 1760–1822. b The number of persons
indicted for property offences at the Glamorganshire Court
