Crime and Poverty in 19th-Century England - The Economy of Makeshifts

It has long been suggested that poverty was responsible for a criminal underclass emerging in Britain during the nineteenth century. Until quite recently, historians did little to challenge this perception. Using innovative quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques, this book looks in detail at some of the causal factors that motivated the poorer classes to commit crime, or act in ways that transgressed acceptable standards of behaviour. It demonstrates how the strategies that these individuals employed varied between urban and rural environments, and shows how the poor railed against legislative reforms that threatened the solvency of their households. In the process, this book provides the first solid appreciation of the complex relationship between crime and poverty in two distinct socio-economic regions between 1830 and 1885.>

List of contents

Introduction \ 1. The Social and Economic Development of Oxfordshire and Kent, 1830-1885 \ 2. Legislative Reforms and Protests \ 3. Crime and the Economy of Makeshifts in the Medway Towns and Rural Districts of North Oxfordshire, 1830-1885 \ 4. Prostitution and the Economy of Makeshifts \ 5. Conclusions \ Bibliography \ Index

About the author

A.W. Ager is Associate Lecturer in the Department of History, Philosophy and Religion at Oxford Brookes University, UK.

Product details

• Authors: A W Ager, A. W. Ager, A.W. Ager
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.08.2015
• EAN: 9781474255127
• ISBN: 978-1-4742-5512-7
• No. of pages: 216
• Series: History of Crime, Deviance and Punishment; History of Crime, Deviance and; History of Crime, Deviance and Punishment
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Modern era up to 1918; England, 19. Jahrhundert (1800 bis 1899 n. Chr.), Europäische Geschichte, Geschichte allgemein und Weltgeschichte, European History, Armut und Prekariat, Ursachen und Prävention von Kriminalität, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Poverty & Homelessness, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Criminology, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / Victorian Era (1837-1901), c 1800 to c 1900, 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, Poverty & unemployment, British & Irish history, Social and cultural history, Causes & Prevention Of Crime, Causes and prevention of crime, Poverty and precarity