L2c highway robbery

Starter:

• Study the image of Dick Turpin, a famous highwayman of the 18th century, from the cover of a magazine published in 1905. • Use your skills of inference to answer the questions.

 Key words:

highwayman

Why did Highway robbery become such a serious crime in the Early Modern Period?

LOs: • To identify reasons why highwaymen grew & declined in popularity • To assess reasons why highway robbery became such a serious crime in the 17th and 18th centuries

Watch this clip from ‘Horrible Histories’ on the highwayman Dick Turpin.

• What can you learn about his life?

• According to the clip was he a ‘gentleman thief’ or a ‘violent thug’?

What was Highway robbery?

• Highway robbery was the crime of using force to steal money or property from travellers.

• The popular view of highwaymen is a glamorous one: daring, masked, well-dressed ‘gentlemen of the road’.

• In reality, many of them, including Turpin himself, were treacherous, cruel and violent. E.g. when one highwayman’s masked slipped and revealed his face to a woman, he cut out her tongue to stop her reporting him.

• This became a feared crime in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, particularly by ordinary travellers and by traders.

Why did Highway robbery become such a serious crime in the Early Modern Period?  Your task: split your page into two: Reasons for the rise of highwaymen

• •

Reasons for the fall of highwaymen

Using the information provided, complete your table.

Colour code the reasons for the rise of highwaymen into the five factors: Belief, attitudes & values

Wealth & poverty

Government

Urbanisation

Communications

 If you were a highwayman, which of these developments would you fear most? Explain why.

Plenary: Why did highway robbery decline?

Due to the Bloody Code, punishments for theft were savage. Do you think that the Bloody Code played an important part in the decline of highway robbery? Or were the other factors more important?

Key Vocab Quiz 1. Name one new crime which people were concerned about in the Early Modern period.

2. Name one type of test carried out for those accused of Witchcraft.

3. Give the name given to the homeless who were regarded as lazy/criminal in the Early Modern Period.

4. Give the law which made Vagrancy a cime.

5. Name one crime punishable by death during this period under the Bloody Code.

6. Name the crime of having a different religion to the King or Queen.

7. Give the punishment for Vagrancy.

8. Give the name of the Witch Finder General.

9. Give one reason why punishments become so harsh in the Early a Modern Period (HINT: think of the 5 factors!)

10. Name the law introduced in 1723 which added 50 new capital crimes

Peer Assess: Key Vocab Quiz 1.

Name one new crime which people were concerned about in the Early Modern period.

2. Name one type of test carried out for those accused of Witchcraft.

3. Give the name given to the homeless who were regarded as lazy/criminal in the Early Modern Period.

4. Give the law which made Vagrancy a crime.

5. Name one crime punishable by death during this period under the Bloody Code.

6. Name the crime of having a different religion to the King or Queen.

7. Give the punishment for Vagrancy.

8. Give the name of the Witch Finder General.

9. Give one reason why punishments become so harsh in the Early a Modern Period (HINT: think of the 5 factors!)

10. Name the law introduced in 1723 which added 50 new capital crimes

8-10 =

5-7 =

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Poaching / smuggling / witchcraft / highway robbery / vagrancy Swimming Vagrants / Sturdy beggars The Poor Law Heresy / witchcraft / treason / theft Heresy Whipped and branded / execution Mathew Hopkins.

Population growth / new travel / increased poverty / landowners interests / religious ideas The Black Act

0-4 =

 What doesn’t this source tell us? (what can’t you see)

What do you already know about highwaymen? Does it support what the source is saying?

What does the source tell us? (what can you see)

How would you describe the men on horseback? (highlight)

Dashing Brutal Ruthless Handsome scruffy fashionable Common gentlemanly romantic mysterious frightening heroic murderous The caption reads: “Fear not, young lady,” said Dick Turpin, “no harm shall come to you. I have a villain to deal with, but he shall have fair play. I pray you walk a short distance with my friend, Tom King.” Half drawing his sword, Sir Graynon staggered back against the carriage.