Crime and Mentalities in Early Modern England

An exploration of the cultural contexts of law-breaking and criminal prosecution in England, 1550–1750.

Malcolm Gaskill (Author)

9780521531184, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 30 January 2003

396 pages
22.9 x 15.3 x 2.6 cm, 0.585 kg

'… the book is a pioneering monument to the complexity of early modern mental worlds and the profound shifts they underwent.' The Historical Journal

Crime and law have now been studied by historians of early modern England for more than a generation. Crime and Mentalities in Early Modern England attempts to reach further than most conventional treatments of the subject, to explore the cultural contexts of law-breaking and criminal prosecution, and to recover their hidden social meanings. In this sense the book is more than just a 'history from below': it is a history from within. Conversely, the book explores crime to shed light on the long-term development of English mentalities in general. To this end, three serious crimes - witchcraft, coining and murder - are examined in detail, revealing new and important insights into how religious reform, state formation, secularisation, and social and cultural change (for example, the spread of literacy and the availability of print) may have transformed the thinking and outlook of most ordinary people between 1550 and 1750.

Introduction: 1. Mentalities from crime
Part I. Witchcraft: 2. The social meaning of witchcraft, 1560–1680
3. Witches in society and culture, 1680–1750
Part II. Coining: 4. The problem of coiners and the law
5. Towards a solution? coining, state and people
Part III. Murder: 6. Crimes of blood and their representation
7. Murder: police, prosecution and proof
Conclusion: 8. A transition from belief to certainty?

Subject Areas: Jurisprudence & general issues [LA], Law [L], Social & cultural history [HBTB]