punishments meted out to the criminals, and the role of prison in the justice system.
An article on crime and punishment in the county during the Tudor and Stuart periods looks at the methods of punishment favoured then, the various forms of crimes..
For information on the development of prisons and other punishments from the eighteenth century onwards, and information on crime, punishment and specific prisons in Herefordshire at that time, see the Prisons section of this..
punishment (before penal servitude)
In 1765 the judge could hand out the death penalty for the following offences:
Murder; treason; coining money; arson; rape; sodomy; piracy; forgery; destroying ships; bankrupts concealing their possessions; highway..
punishment that were handed out for bad behaviour can be seen in the Records of the Board of Guardians for Hereford Union:
On 14 February 1838 the Master reported the following punishments of the last fortnight:"Joseph Taylor of Marden, stopped his..
punishments were very harsh. Hanging, burning to death, torture, whipping, being chained to stocks where people could pelt you with rubbish, dunking in a river or branding with a hot iron - these and other gruesome methods were accepted practice and..
punishment investigates how attitudes towards crime changed during the period 1500 to 1750, and the effect this had on methods of punishment. For a detailed look at the 18th and 19th century prisons of Herefordshire and the life of their inmates, see..
punishment is illustrated in the following example, a case of forgery from 1535 which is an interesting exception to the general lack of information on outcome:
A John Bedo hired a William Blast to forge a document claiming to be a letter from the..
n-conformist chapels including a gazetteer of the county's chapels); Crime and Punishment (changing attitudes, methods of punishment); and Slavery (connections with Herefordshire).
There is also an article on Herefordshire's Changing Population over..
punishment of those who had done wrong. It was used to hold people awaiting trial and those found guilty and awaiting punishment. These sentences were usually corporal (whipping, flogging, etc.) or capital (the death penalty) and so the detention period..
punishment meted out by manorial courts sometimes involved whipping the culprit several times around the church. Medieval punishment could be gruesome. Hereford Museum has a piece of pre-14th century human skin from someone who had been flayed to..
punishment was also carried out in the gaol, and in 1699 we have a record of the gaoler and his deputy keeper being ordered to "cause the bodies of seven prisoners to be duly whipt and after to set their bodies at liberty" (Hereford City Council Minutes,..
Year 8
History Pages
You can access the Tudor sections from the Post-Medieval Period introductory page. The Herefordshire Life section includes pages on Tudor Education and Apprenticeships and The Poor. Other sections cover Buildings and Crime and..
punishment. However, the development of an organised system of holding and reforming criminals led to the development of a more regulated punishment.
It was at the turn of the 18th century that a scaffold specially constructed to hang a condemned man was..
punishment was excommunication. Church Courts "were not entitled to harm the body of any individual or to fine them, although the bills for legal services may have been punishment enough for some" (Anne Tarver, Church Court Records, Phillimore, 1995, p...
Rules for the government of Hereford County Prison
Below is a selection of the rules of Hereford Gaol, from a booklet held in Hereford Record Office.
Discipline of prisoners
Punishment cells to be provided in every prison.
Criminal prisoners shall be..
punishment involving expulsion from the Christian religion.
The emergence of cities aided this crusading effort further as the rise of trade and a money economy freed many peasants from the land and drove them to the new centres seeking a new life. Many..
punishment.
On 14th February 1838, the Master reported the following punishments of the last fortnight:"Joseph Taylor of Marden, stopped his cheese, gruel and soup for one day for breaking stone in a negligent manner and making use of ill..
punishment for as little as snaring a rabbit to feed his family. Medieval law stipulated that a poacher could have a hand chopped off, be blinded or have his testicles severed. In reality, though, according to the evidence of court proceedings, he was..
punishment. 4. That myselfe will never beare armes in their quarrell; but if I shal be thereunto called, will assist my soveraigne and his armyes in the defence of his royall person, crowne, and dignity, against all contrary forces, unto the uttermost of..
punishment was meted out to others who held these meetings.
In 1660 the site of the Meeting House and burial ground was purchased in Leominster, and the buildings were erected in 1689. The adult School of the Quakers was founded in 1858. By 1886 the..
