Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Classes
Upper Class
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Crimes
Commoners
Many crimes committed by the poor were because of desperation and
poverty.
The most common crimes were:
Theft
Begging
Adultery
Forgers -The action of forging or producing a copy of a document,
signature, banknote, or work of art.
Fraud -Wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or
personal gain ex Cheat
Debtors
Nobility
Alchemy: Trying to change base metals into gold and discover a life
prolonging elixir.
Punishment
Nobility
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By Burning
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By Beheading
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Commoners
brash and brazen or too free. The ducking stool was a wooden chair attached
to a large lever. The lever allowed the chair to be raised or lowered without
the tipping of the chair, making it parallel to the ground at all times. The chair
was then lowered into the water, dunking the accused woman under the
water. Based on the level of the offense and the cruelty of the deciding
person the woman could be "ducked" any number of times, and in some
cases of extreme measures. The woman could drown from the time spent
under water. Some of the ducking stools were mobile and could be taken to
the water's edge at anytime.
The brank- Another weird punishment was the brank, also known as the
bride's scold. The brank was a punishment for women who gossiped or spoke
too freely. It was a large iron "cage" placed on the head of the offender. There
was a metal strip on the brank that fit into the mouth and was either
sharpened to a point or covered with spikes so that ANY movement of the
tongue would more than likely cause severe injuries to the mouth. The
woman was then led through the streets of town by a chain. Then she was
usually tied to a whipping post or pillory to stand in view of the cruel and
verbally abusive public.
The watch
Back in Elizabethan times there was no police force, instead they had The
Watch. These were armed civilians under control of a sheriff or constable.
They were the first layer of Law and Order, their duty was to keep peace. If
they saw someone misbehaving they had the right to arrest the person and
send them to the magistrate (minor judicial officer) they were very cocky and
that is why they were feared and disliked
The Courts
The Elizabethan court is definitely not a place you would want to be if you were
being accused of a crime. This was especially the case if you were being accused of
a harsh crime such as treason. Unlike today where we have numerous rules and
regulations which state we are unable to torture people, this was not the case
during the Elizabethan period. There were 4 court systems. National Court, this had
a monarch (the Queen) and many of her assistants as the jury. Crimes include
treason, murder, and arson. Church Court, the judge was the Pope of the Church,
and the bishops would also help him. Crimes include marrying a close relative or not
attending church on Sunday. Regional/Village Courts, the sheriff or constable was in
charge of these. Crimes include every day village offenses.
Comparison
First of all there is no difference in classes, all the human beings are
punished under same rules.
There are also options for an indeterminate sentence. - the prison term
imposed after conviction for a crime which does not state a specific period of
time or release date, but just a range of time, such as "five-to-ten years". It is
one side of a continuing debate as to whether it is better to make sentences
absolute (subject to reduction for good behavior) without reference to
potential rehabilitation, modification or review in the future.
Citation
Notes
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http://www.antiquaprintgallery.com/ekmps/shops/richben90/images/jap
an-convivial-party-of-lower-class-japanese-1880-64676-p.jpg
"Elizabethan Era.. N.p... Web. 1 May 2013.
<http://www.noblesandcourtiers.org/elizabethan-crime-andpunishment.htm>.
"Crime and Punishment in England." . N.p.. Web. 1 May 2013.
<http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/punishment.htm>.
. Elizabethan Crime. N.p.. Web. 1 May 2013.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabethan_era>.
"Criminal Sentencing Canada." . WikiMedia. Web. 22 May 2013.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_sentencing_in_Canada>.
Pictures
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