Full mark (12/12) Edexcel GCSE History on crime and punishment and more specifically on explaining why the bloody code developed between the period . Marked by an experienced GCSE history teacher. This was done as a practice for the real exam in which I achieved a grade 9
Explain why the Bloody Code developed in the period 1500-1700 (12 marks)
- Towns
- Crime rate
An initial reason why the bloody code developed in the period 1500-1700 was because of law-
makers and the public in general believing that crime rates were at an all time high. Even though
recorded crime was in fact falling through the 1600s many people at the time didn't believe that as
they were worried about their lives and belongings. The media with the new printing press
technology was always talking about highwaymen and vagabondage mixed with the regular public
executions made people uneasy and gave the illusion that crime was a very serious issue at the time.
The lawmakers and public being paranoid about crime led to more crimes receiving capital
punishments in turn developing the bloody code.
Another reason why the bloody code developed in the period between 1500-1700 was because of
the increasing growth of towns. Old policing methods like the hue and cry and tithings were no
longer effective as the size of towns had grown substantially both in size and population since the
early middle ages. This made it easier for criminals to commit crimes and harder to detect them by
the constable. The only way, people thought, to stop crime was to deter anyone from even
committing them in the first place. This led to the death penalty being the punishments for over 50
punishments in 1688 and that slowly rose over the years. This developed the bloody code to try
deter criminals from committing any crimes at all by scaring them of the consequences.
Lastly another reason why the bloody code developed in the period 1500-1700 was because of
property crime. Rich landowners were often law makers and they were particularly worried about
property crime. These MPs started to introduce the bloody code to protect their own land and
privileges so they could keep their power in times when they could for example see the churches
power quickly depleting and they didn't want that to happen to them. This could be seen with laws
against poaching which seemed to be designed simply to preserve the privileges of the rich at the
expense of the poor. Though these law makers weren't entirely selfish, because they believed the
bloody code protected also the poor from crime they above all wanted it to protect themselves.
These harsh punishments for property crime were treated as harshly as murder or assault in the
times of the bloody code.
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