Crime, Courtrooms and the Public Sphere in Britain, 1700-1850

Nonfiction, History, Modern, 19th Century
Cover of the book Crime, Courtrooms and the Public Sphere in Britain, 1700-1850 by , Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9781317157953
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: May 13, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9781317157953
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: May 13, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Modern criminal courts are characteristically the domain of lawyers, with trials conducted in an environment of formality and solemnity, where facts are found and legal rules are impartially applied to administer justice. Recent historical scholarship has shown that in England lawyers only began to appear in ordinary criminal trials during the eighteenth century, however, and earlier trials often took place in an atmosphere of noise and disorder, where the behaviour of the crowd - significant body language, meaningful looks, and audible comment - could influence decisively the decisions of jurors and judges. This collection of essays considers this transition from early scenes of popular participation to the much more orderly and professional legal proceedings typical of the nineteenth century, and links this with another important shift, the mushroom growth of popular news and comment about trials and punishments which occurred from the later seventeenth century. It hypothesizes that the popular participation which had been a feature of courtroom proceedings before the mid-eighteenth century was not stifled by ’lawyerization’, but rather partly relocated to the ’public sphere’ of the press, partly because of some changes connected with the work of the lawyers. Ranging from the early 1700s to the mid-nineteenth century, and taking account of criminal justice proceedings in Scotland, as well as England, the essays consider whether pamphlets, newspapers, ballads and crime fiction provided material for critical perceptions of criminal justice proceedings, or alternatively helped to convey the official ’majesty’ intended to legitimize the law. In so doing the volume opens up fascinating vistas upon the cultural history of Britain’s legal system over the ’long eighteenth century'.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Modern criminal courts are characteristically the domain of lawyers, with trials conducted in an environment of formality and solemnity, where facts are found and legal rules are impartially applied to administer justice. Recent historical scholarship has shown that in England lawyers only began to appear in ordinary criminal trials during the eighteenth century, however, and earlier trials often took place in an atmosphere of noise and disorder, where the behaviour of the crowd - significant body language, meaningful looks, and audible comment - could influence decisively the decisions of jurors and judges. This collection of essays considers this transition from early scenes of popular participation to the much more orderly and professional legal proceedings typical of the nineteenth century, and links this with another important shift, the mushroom growth of popular news and comment about trials and punishments which occurred from the later seventeenth century. It hypothesizes that the popular participation which had been a feature of courtroom proceedings before the mid-eighteenth century was not stifled by ’lawyerization’, but rather partly relocated to the ’public sphere’ of the press, partly because of some changes connected with the work of the lawyers. Ranging from the early 1700s to the mid-nineteenth century, and taking account of criminal justice proceedings in Scotland, as well as England, the essays consider whether pamphlets, newspapers, ballads and crime fiction provided material for critical perceptions of criminal justice proceedings, or alternatively helped to convey the official ’majesty’ intended to legitimize the law. In so doing the volume opens up fascinating vistas upon the cultural history of Britain’s legal system over the ’long eighteenth century'.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Reporting Cultures on 60 Minutes by
Cover of the book Alone in the Mirror by
Cover of the book Seafood by
Cover of the book Unified Discourse Analysis by
Cover of the book Race, Discourse and Labourism by
Cover of the book Local Politics in Indonesia by
Cover of the book Emigrant Players by
Cover of the book Ten Years of Studies in Documentary Film by
Cover of the book Water, Technology and the Nation-State by
Cover of the book Voice and Speech in the Theatre by
Cover of the book French Encounters with the American Counterculture 1960-1980 by
Cover of the book The Changing Face of Korean Management by
Cover of the book Women, Migration and Citizenship by
Cover of the book Gender and Sexuality in India by
Cover of the book Assessment in Second Language Pronunciation by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy