Caitlin Slocombe, School of History

Exploring Nineteenth Century Punishment and Crime in the Archives

I have been researching letters and documents from the nineteenth century which discuss certain crimes that were prevalent during the period, as well as the way that these were punished. Vagrancy, extramarital relationships and desertion from the military were all types of behaviour that could be reported to the law enforcement of the era.
The sources I have been looking at reveal three perspectives: the criminal, the witness, and the member(s) of law enforcement. This works to provide an insight into the criminal system of nineteenth century England, as well as the way both punishment and crime were thought about within society.
In this presentation I will discuss these sources further and the way that they relate to the wider historiography.

BA History, Second Year (she/her)
Hi, I’m Caitlin and I am a second year undergraduate student studying History. I particularly love learning about social and cultural history, finding out more about the perspectives of the past and how similar or different they seem to be to modern day. I hope to continue studying history further after finishing my undergraduate degree!