Common Crimes in the 18th Century (WJEC Eduqas GCSE History): Revision Note

Why did crimes such as highway robbery and smuggling increase during the 18th century?- Summary 

Crimes such as highway robbery and smuggling were not new in the 18th century, but they became more common due to major social and economic changes. The Industrial Revolution led to a rising population, improved roads, and increased trade, which created new opportunities for crime. More people were travelling between towns and cities, often carrying goods or money, making travellers easy targets for highwaymen on unpoliced roads.

At the same time, heavy taxes on imported goods encouraged many to turn to smuggling, as it provided a way to make money by selling tea, tobacco, and alcohol illegally. Poverty and unemployment also drove people to join smuggling gangs. Both crimes reflected how industrial growth and expanding trade created wealth for some but desperation and temptation for others.

Smuggling 

• There was a growth in smuggling during the 18th century due to the following:

  • War 

    • The government increased taxes on goods to pay for costly wars 

  • Excise duty 

    • This tax was placed on goods such as chocolate, tea, and spirits 

  • Customs duties 

    • Tax on imported and exported goods kept on rising 

    • By the middle of the 18th century, the tax on tea had increased by 70% 

  • The black market 

    • People disliked paying taxes and duties on goods, so they brought goods on the black market to avoid paying these costs 

  • Demand for smuggled goods 

    • People did not want to pay taxes and duties on goods, so the demand for goods increased 

  • Policing 

    • There were not enough police to patrol the whole British coastline 

    • It was easy to smuggle goods into Britain 

  • Investors 

    • Investors were willing to fund smugglers' ventures as they profited from them

  • Employment

    • Smuggling paid well 

    • This was attractive to poor people who could earn up to seven times their daily wage in one night  

    • There were approximately 20,000 active smugglers in Britain in the mid-18th century 

  • Public perception 

    • Smuggling was seen as a ‘social crime’

    • It was rarely reported by the public 

• The government saw smuggling as a serious crime because it was

  • Disruptive to trade 

  • A drain on tax revenue

    • Around 1.4 tonnes of tea were smuggled into Britain each year, tax-free

• Despite this, authorities struggled to stop smuggling

Smuggling Gangs 

• Smuggling gangs caused big problems for the government

  • They could be as large as 50-100 well-armed men

  • They fought with customs officers

  • The Hawkhurst Gang was one such example

    • They smuggled goods along the south coast

    • They seized back their confiscated goods

    • The authorities sentenced the leaders to death by hanging

• Smuggling gangs were well organised 

• They often included 

  • The venturer

    • A wealthy individual 

    • They paid for the venture 

    • They paid the smugglers from the profits 

  • The sportsman 

    • A local person 

    • Knew the local land and people, and used this knowledge to prevent smugglers from being caught 

  • The lander 

    • Organised the small boats and any transport needed by the smugglers 

  • The tubman 

    • Lifted and carried the smuggled goods

  • The batsmen 

    • Protected the tubmen from customs officials 

How did the Government reduce smuggling in the 18th Century? 

• Smuggling eventually declined as a result of:

  • New laws

  • Revenue men

  • Reduction of high duties

  • Threat of French invasion

    • The government introduced new laws

    • The Hovering Act, 1718, made it illegal for vessels smaller than 50 tons to wait within six miles off the shoreline. This held the punishment of transportation 

    • The Act of Indemnity, 1736, introduced the death penalty for anyone injuring an officer. Those caught bribing an officer were fined, and any smugglers who provided information were pardoned 

The introduction of the Revenue Men of the Customers and Excise Service

• They patrolled the coastline of England and Wales 

• 33 areas were created and staffed with officers to prevent smuggling 

Reduction of high duties in the 1780s

In 1784, the government reduced duties on goods, including tea. This was reduced from 119% to 12.5%The threat of a French invasion during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

• The government created Martello towers along the coast 

• The Royal Navy patrolled the English Channel

• The Royal Navy blockaded French ports 

Conviction of smugglers and the coastguard

• However, convicting smugglers was difficult as 

  • Magistrates were afraid to anger powerful gangs 

  • Locals did not report smugglers to the authorities 

• By the 1820s, the government introduced the Coast Guard, which helped to prevent smuggling 

Highway Robbery

• Across the 18th and early 19th centuries, highway robbery dramatically increased

• Travellers became very fearful of highwaymen

• There were two types of highway robbers

  • The footpad

    • They did not have horses 

    • They stole from pedestrian travellers 

  • The highwayman 

    • Used horses 

    • Attacked stage coaches and people on horseback 

    • Targeted rich travellers 

    • Most robberies took place on roads leading to and from London 

• Dick Turpin was a notorious highwayman from the time period 

  • His story was romanticised in nineteenth-century novels 

• Dick Turpin was born in 1706 and became a highwayman alongside Tom King, attacking travellers on the Cambridge Road 

  • Both Turpin and King were wanted criminals with a £100 reward for their capture 

  • They lived in a cave in Epping Forest 

• King was shot and killed in 1737 during an attack

  • Turpin managed to escape the attack and moved to Yorkshire 

• Turpin changed his name and created a business selling horses

  • In February 1739, Turpin was found guilty of stealing horses and hanged in York 

Why did Highway Robbery Increase in the 18th Century? 

• Highway robbery increased due to  

  • Turnpike roads 

    • Roads had improved, allowing for more people to travel by coach

    • These roads were often quiet and isolated, making it easier for highwaymen to ambush travellers 

  • Unpoliced roads 

    • There were very few members of law enforcement patrolling the roads 

  • Increased travel 

    • Due to the increase in wealth among the nobility, gentry, and businessmen, there was a desire to travel  

    • As it was the start of the Industrial Revolution, more people were moving from the countryside to the cities and towns for work 

  • The creation of coaching inns

    • With improved roads and more travelling, people needed places to stay on the roads 

    • Highway robbers watched the coaching inns, looking for people to rob from 

  • The unemployed

    • As unemployment was high, especially with demobilised soldiers, they turned to highway robbery 

  • The availability of firearms  

    • Handguns became easier for highwaymen to obtain 

    • Handguns were easier to load and fire, making highway robbery easier 

  • Availability of horses 

    • Horses became cheaper to purchase, making highway robbery easier

  • The lack of banks 

    • There were not many banks; therefore, people were carrying more money around with them 

Why was there a decline in Highway Robbery? 

• The government saw highwaymen as a major disruption to trade

  • This was especially the case on roads around London

• Authorities started to make more efforts to reduce highway robbery

  • In the early 19th century, highway robbery started to decrease

  • It eventually stopped altogether due to

    • The increase in banks 

    • Closing of coaching inns 

    • Rewards for highwaymen 

    • Introduction of stagecoaches and staging posts 

    • Towns and villages are being built around the previously isolated roads 

    • Highway robbery was made a crime punishable by death in 1772

    • Mounted patrols on roads in London