1. What does the story of Mary Jones reveal to us about Crime Prevention at the end of the Early Modern Period?

2. Do you recognise this place?

3. This is Ludgate Hill, in London
This is Ludgate Hill, in London. It used be called Ludgate Street something happened here in the 1700s…
Ideas?

4. Read the start of the true story from 1771
Read the start of the true story from It might help you work out what happened here…

5. In 1770 the British navy desperately needed sailors to man their ships
In 1770 the British navy desperately needed sailors to man their ships. To ‘recruit’ able bodied men, press gangs scoured cities and towns kidnapping any young men they could find for the navy.
One such victim was the husband of a young mother of two, Mary Jones. Mary, just 18 was left alone to look after her children. She had no means of paying rent, or feeding her family. Mary found lodgings with her friend, Ann Styles in one of London’s poorest areas: The Strand.
Mary was truly desperate. How was she going to fulfil her yearning for food? How was she going to stop her poor young children from constantly crying from hunger? How was she ever going to be able to find a room of her own to live in?

6. Speculate / guess: what you think happened here…

7. What does the story of Mary Jones reveal to us about Crime Prevention at the end of the Early Modern Period?

8. What happened next? Policing Trials Punishments
As you read through your own copy of the story you should be able to find out if your predictions were correct.
You also need to underline or highlight using different colours or a different code parts of the story that gives information about the following topics:
Policing
Trials
Punishments

9. Were you right? What happened at Ludegate Street? This is a sad story.
Mary Jones would not have been punished so harshly today.
Why was she in the 1770s?

10. The system of justice changed between the Middle Ages and the 1700s, but by how much?
Use your copy of W.S 1 to record how much change and how much continuity there was in policing, trials and courts and punishments.

11. Policing Trials and courts w.s1 Situation in 1500
Changes made
Continuities
Change-o-meter
0=same 5=total change
There was no police force. Tithings and the hue and cry were the main methods of catching offenders. Leading villagers became constables. Sheriffs were used to catch criminals on the run.
Policing
Trial by jury was used for most offences. Trial by Ordeal had been abolished since Royal judges travelled around the country dealing with serious cases, each lasted about 15 minutes. JPs held county courts. Manor courts met regularly.
Trials and courts
Capital punishments was the most common form of punishment in royal courts. Hanging and other punishments were public to scare others from offending. Prisons were only used for people awaiting trial.
Punishments
w.s1

12. Building a stronger answer:
Can you use historical arguments to knock down the wall of misconception?

13. The whole system of trial by jury was changed
Write as many post-its as you can that knock down these points
Policing did not
Change
Trial by Ordeal
was still used in
1700
The Church
did not help
those accused
of crime
No one charged
with execution
could avoid the
death penalty
The whole
system
of trial by jury
was changed
By 1700 the
whole policing
system was
completely
new

14. Write a summary for a website about crime prevention in 1771.
Revision Activity
Write a summary for a website about crime prevention in 1771.