Elizabethan+Crime+and+Punishment

​ ​Crime and Punishment By: Gabriel Messersmith The Elizabethan Era was brutal on convicts who committed crimes. First lets talk about the tools an punishment "routines".

TOOLS and PUNISHMENT "Routines" The most gruesome of all punishment was probably Drawing meaning to remove the persons internal organs while still alive (Andrews 81). The second most gruesome was Quartering meaning to cut the person into four parts while still alive hence, Quartering (Andrews 81). More of the common punishments like hanging, whipping (nine-tail/cat-tail), and Brides Scold (Andrews 81 and Brice Peters). Brides Scold was a cage around a woman’s head with spikes in her mouth that would severely cut her tongue if she would talk, this would only happen if they would gossip too much or could not hold their tongue (Andrews 81 and Brice Peters).



CATAGORIES of CRIMES Crimes were divided in three different catagories: Treason, felonies, and misdeamemors. Treason was the far most worst of all three (Andrews 80). High treason or treason is when someone seriously threatened the monarchy such as plots against the rulers life or authority (Andrews 80-81). The penalty for high treason is death, often in a particularly gruesome manner, such as hanging, Drawing, Quartering, and Amputation saw (Andrews 81 and Brian Peter).



Although in some cases those who committed High treason was not lead into the same fate (Andrews 81). A wide range of crimes were felonies including violent acts such as murder and assualt, also property acts such as robbery and horse theft.(Andrews 81). The execution of convicted felons were public and publicly announced, the convicted were hanged most of the time (Andrews 82). Lesser crimes called misdeameanors were small petty crimes like stealing food or Vondabonage meaning to wonder place to place begging (Andrews 82). Whipping was the most commen punishment for misdeameanors (Andrews 82).



COURT SYSTEM various types of courts existed in Shakespeares England, each of which had its own responsibility (Andrews 82). These included both state and church courts, the latter dealing mainly with crimes of sexual misbehavior (Andrews 82). The Star Chamber was a state court that dealt with crimes that threatened order such as treason, riots, and/or official misconduct by government ministers (Andrews 82). Convicted criminals could request or even pay for pardon, and even in some cases the judge delayed execution of the sentence, giving the prisoner time to make an application (Andrews 83).



Works Cited Andrews, John F., ed. //Shakespeare’s World and Work//. 2001 ed. Vols. Vol. #1. New York: Charles Scribner Sons, 2001. Print. 1 vols. Shakespeares World and Work 1. Biesty, Stephen. //Cross-sections Castle//. New York: DK Publishers, 1994. Print. Peter, Brice. “Bloody Painful: Crime and Punishment in Elizabethan England.” //Elizabethan England//. Springfield, Mar.-Apr. 2010. Web. 9 Apr. 2010. //The Whipping//. 2010. //Frampton Wiki//. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. [].