Syllabus Edition

First teaching 2016

Last exams 2025

The Types of Criminal Activity in Early Modern England (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Note

Exam code: 1HI0

Rosanna Killick

Written by: Rosanna Killick

Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett

Updated on

The Types of Criminal Activity in Early Modern England - Timeline

A timeline details English legal changes: heresy (1382), Church of England (1534), witchcraft as a capital crime (1542), Protestantism (1559), witch trials (1563), poor relief (1597, 1601), Puritan laws (1650), and the Game Act (1671).

The Types of Criminal Activity in Early Modern England - Summary

Huge social changes created tensions and divisions in early modern society. Many landowners and smugglers became wealthier, while farmers and vagabonds became poorer. Feudalism declined, while urbanisation increased. This led to more crimes against the person and against property, as many struggled to survive.

Important religious changes created a split between Catholic and Protestant Christians. People also became more superstitious. They worried more about crimes like witchcraft.

This period also saw two different ruling families in England. The Tudors ruled between 1485 and 1603, followed by the Stuarts between 1603 and 1714. Apart from Mary I, these monarchs were also head of the Church. This led to an increase in crimes against authority, particularly heresy and treason.

Social and Religious Changes in Early Modern England

Social changes

  • Farming became more efficient

    • Land enclosure increased

    • This meant that all farmland, including common land, was fully used

    • By 1700, most of the country’s land was enclosed

A diagram showing the consequences of enclosing farmland: it explains how fencing land led to poverty, hunger, resistance, and laws to criminalize taking food.
A diagram showing the effects of enclosures on landowners and poor people
  • The population increased

    • Towns and cities expanded

    • Trade flourished

    • More people moved to urban areas to look for work

Social Challenges in Early Modern England

A diagram showing some of the challenges people faced as a result of social changes
A diagram showing some of the challenges people faced as a result of social changes

Religious changes

  • The English Reformation began with Henry VIII, who

    • Broke away from the authority of the Roman Catholic Church

    • Became the head of the Church of England

  • It was unpopular with the mostly Catholic population

    • The following years were full of religious confusion, unrest and extremism

    • England’s official religion swung back and forth between Catholicism and Protestantism

      • This depended on the religious beliefs of the different monarchs

Illustrations of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I, and James I with descriptions of their religious influences during their reigns in England.
An illustration showing some of the different monarchs’ religious beliefs

What Activities Were Considered Crimes in Early Modern England?

  • Medieval crimes were still considered crimes in the early modern era

  • Important social and religious changes led to the creation of some ‘new’ crimes

Vagabondage

  • Also known as vagrancy

  • Became a crime as a result of pressure the general population put on the government

    • Vagabonds often wandered in search of work

    • This made them strangers to the community

    • Many relied on begging and charity to survive

    • The settled population hated, feared and resented them

An illustration showing three medieval peasants with thought bubbles. Left man: "They are just lazy!" Middle woman: "They are responsible for their own problems!" Right man: "They are sinful!"
An illustration showing some typical early modern attitudes to vagabonds
  • Community members shared pamphlets listing the different types of vagabonds

An illustration depicting different types of vagabonds, including Drummers (pretend to be deaf), Priggers of Prancers (horse thieves), Kinchin Morts (young female beggars), and Freshwater Mariners/Whipjacks (pretend to be ex-sailors).
An illustration featuring some of the different types of vagabonds
  • The number of vagabonds increased in the 15th and 16th centuries

    • There were roughly 30,000 vagabonds in the Tudor era

A diagram showing how rising food prices, falling wages, increasing population, and the lack of social support after the dissolution of monasteries in 1536 affected people.
An illustration featuring some reasons why there were more vagabonds in the early modern era
  • In the reign of Elizabeth I, the law split vagabonds into two categories:

    • ‘Deserving’

      • Elderly

      • Disabled

    • ‘Undeserving’

      • Able-bodied

      • Fit for work

Smuggling

  • Dramatically increased in the 16th and 17th centuries

    • English explorers started to discover more of the New World

    • They returned to England with luxury goods

    • They wanted to make their own money from these goods

    • They sold them without paying import taxes

    • The illustration below shows some of the luxury goods smugglers sold

An illustration showing two men are smuggling barrels at night. Surrounding images illustrate tea, tobacco, herbs, and alcohol. Each item is labelled to show what is being smuggled.
An illustration showing some of the luxury goods smugglers sold
  • Like poaching, smuggling was what historians call a ‘social’ crime 

    • Many did not view it as threatening or serious

      • They were happy to buy cheaper goods from smugglers

  • This made smuggling very difficult to enforce

Witchcraft

  • In the medieval era, witchcraft was 

    • A minor crime

    • Tried in church courts

  • In the early modern era, witchcraft became 

    • A very serious crime 

    • Tried in secular courts

  • The table below lists different reasons for the increase in witchcraft accusations in early modern England


    Table of reasons for the increase in witchcraft accusations in early modern England

Religious reasons

Social reasons

Economic reasons

By the late 1500s, the influence of Puritanism was growing

More and more vagabonds came to towns and cities

People faced many economic hardships throughout this period

Preachers taught that the Devil was tempting good Christians away from God

The settled population, especially wealthy people, did not trust vagabonds

These included poor harvests and the death of livestock

People became very fearful of witches’ ‘harmful magic’

Vagabonds were often accused of being witches

Witches were often scapegoated for these events

Why did Crimes Against the Person Increase in Early Modern England?

  • Urbanisation led to an increase in crimes against the person

    • Vagabonds started to move to towns and cities

      • Many committed crimes like assault and murder

  • Urban areas became a lot more busy

    • This made it easy for street criminals to avoid being seen or caught

  • Criminals had greater anonymity

Why did Crimes Against Property Increase in Early Modern England?

  • Increased unemployment and poverty led to an increase in crimes against property

  • People started to commit 'survival' crimes

An illustration showing how poaching and petty theft became survival crimes
An illustration showing how poaching and petty theft became survival crimes

Why did Crimes Against Authority Increase in Early Modern England?

  • Religious and political changes led to an increase in crimes against authority

    • Heresy

      • Increased after the English Reformation

      • Involved having the wrong religious beliefs at the wrong time

      • Important clergymen played a role in charging and judging cases

    • Treason

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Be careful not to confuse heresy with treason.

An illustration of Tudor monarchs Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I, and Stuart monarch James I detailing their executions related to heresy and treason.
An illustration showing how some of the different early modern monarchs dealt with heresy and treason

Worked Example

Describe one feature of heresy in early modern England

2 marks

Answers:

Heresy increased after the English Reformation. (1) This is partly because England’s religion kept switching between Catholic and Protestant (1).

Examiner Tips and Tricks

This question previously asked students to describe two features of a given event. This question was out of four marks. However, as of 2025, Edexcel will split this question into two subsections, asking you to describe a feature of two different events. Each subsection is worth two marks.

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Rosanna Killick

Author: Rosanna Killick

Expertise: History Content Creator

After graduating from Oxford University with a BA in History, Rosanna became a full-time, qualified tutor. She has since amassed thousands of hours of tutoring experience, and has also spent the last few years creating content in the EdTech space. She believes that a nuanced understanding of the past can help to contextualise the present. She is passionate about creating clear, accessible content that helps students to identify and select the most relevant facts and concepts for writing focused, persuasive exam answers.

Bridgette Barrett

Reviewer: Bridgette Barrett

Expertise: Geography, History, Religious Studies & Environmental Studies Subject Lead

After graduating with a degree in Geography, Bridgette completed a PGCE over 30 years ago. She later gained an MA Learning, Technology and Education from the University of Nottingham focussing on online learning. At a time when the study of geography has never been more important, Bridgette is passionate about creating content which supports students in achieving their potential in geography and builds their confidence.