Crime in London: 1825-1830

The Industrial Revolution produced a drastic change mechanically and socially; creating a new age of manufacturing that put many artisans out of work yet employed children. It created a greater gap between the very poor and the very rich as cities urbanized and became mechanized. The poor, unhappy with their situation, were galvanized by Karl Marx’s socialist standpoint on the Proletariat and Bourgeoisie. But the main physical problem was that of money, space, and sanitation. The lower class worked long hours and lived in cramped quarters where clean water was inaccessible and money was tight. An entire street would share one bathroom where the waste was not well contained, and that led to the spread of disease within cities.  The urbanization and general unhappiness of people within industrialized cities resulted in high crime rates from 1820 to 1830 (up until about the time a formal police force was introduced into London).

An article written on April 3, 1828 describes an act of fraud by Mary Anne Belle, a young woman posing as a servant to Lady Alice Peel. Belle, unemployed, was caught claiming to purchase goods for Lady Alice multiple instances. Belle entered a store, selected goods, and told the clerk that she was a servant authorized to procure them. Many people in London at this time were employed as maids, valets, servants, and footmen to wealthy households of lords. The reason Belle believed she would get away with the crime was because it was not unusual for servants to buy goods for their manor. In almost every newspaper I read there were columns of advertisements for a “lady’s maid” or a “respectable footman,” demonstrating the normality of these kinds of people running errands for their employers. People committed fraud because they were poor and believed they could get away with it.

In the April 6, 1825 paper, there is a story concerning a shooting of cotton-spinners employed by a Mr. Dunlop. Three of Dunlop’s newest workers were walking home from the mill when two familiar men, both of whom had made threats in the past, passed then shot the closest man ten times. A worker made a grab for one of the assailants while the other was knocked out. The second shooter escaped.  The assailants were two men to whom the owner of the cotton mill had denied employment. The new workers were accosted, the article states, most likely because of their new admittance into work. The shooters were unhappy that they were refused jobs and were so angry that they assaulted the new workers.  This article demonstrates that the competition for jobs was so intense that jealousy turned to violence. Being employed was extremely important, and those unemployed held a grudge and turned to viciousness as a solution to their monetary problems.

Two men (Williams and Woodward) and two women (King and Fox) assaulted James Heritage on a highway on April 6 1825. They stole money, silver, two coats, his boots, and his handkerchiefs. Heritage was jerked off his horse and was then kicked and assaulted by weapons. He was left lying on the ground as the four people made off, and no one realized he needed help until he stumbled, very bloody, into a shop.  This is yet another example of crime committed before a police force was created, four people were willing to risk getting caught for stealing an amount that was not very large. People were so desperate for money that they committed crimes that were chancy and yielded little reward.

Pickpocketing was a common crime in the 1800’s because it was relatively simple to do and one could make a satisfactory profit. In many newspapers there are reports concerning one pickpocket or another, as exemplified in the December 15, 1828 paper. Henry Lee, a notorious London pickpocket, attempted to pickpocket a Mr. Richard Gude, and was caught. Mr. Gude was on a bridge watching a boat race when he felt something move in his pocket; he turned around and saw Lee (addressed as "the prisoner") running away. Lee was later caught and fully tried. London was a place for pickpocketing to thrive because of the large concentrations of people within the cities and no organized police force. People reverted to crimes like this because they were unable to make ends meet as it was, with or without a job.

An article written about the recent undertakings of the House of Commons appeared in The Times on April 5 1828. The House of Commons originated in the 1200’s when lords would send representatives to the Parliament to argue about complaints. It was a legislative authority in Britain and frequently held conferences about problems within Britain. The topic of conversation in the April 5 1828 newspaper was to discuss the “cause of the increase of crime… in the metropolis” and the improvements that were being made. The article specifically remarks on the “frightful increase of juvenile delinquents” within cities and gives an example of two boys of about 12 years old who broke a shop window and stole something, and were sentenced to be hanged (but were not actually executed). The House of Commons wishes to carry out the sentences of death in the future in London and Middlesex, making a stronger impression upon the people not to commit crimes. This article demonstrates the problem of crime within industrialized cities and that a better system of punishment should be introduced into those places.  The two young boys mentioned in the paper were most likely lower class, because numerous children were sleeping on the streets and roaming around during the day because their parents were working and they had no work. 1828 was a year before a formal police force was introduced into London, and this article expresses the demand for a higher standard of penalties for crime.

The high frequency of crime in London was due to its rapid urbanization, overpopulation, and lack of well paying jobs.