The Victorian era witnessed significant changes in how culprits were hunted, charged, or arrested to appear in court. Helped stop bacteria growth in liquids (process known as pasteurization) Marie Curie (1867–1934) Scientist and Nobel Prize winner in chemistry and Physics. Below are ten important moments in the period […] Some poor people saw a life of crime as the only way of surviving. While prostitution and drunkenness were a common sight on England's streets, there were also a number of other crimes being committed. A tiff between an employer and her maid led to one of Victorian Britain's most sensational crimes in 1879. 2 Glasgow’s Penny Mobs. Glasgow has always had a reputation as a tough town, and things were no different in the late 1800s. The streets in Victorian Britain were often narrow and poorly lit. Famous Victorian Era American Authors. Some people thought that poor people were poor through laziness and the government rarely did anything to help them. The death penalty for most crimes was abolished for instance (it used to be that you could be hanged for something as trivial as stealing quite a small amount of money or property for instance).. Parliament was made up of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) Scientist who discovered vaccination. Victorian Crime and Punishment. Discovered a new element, Radium. Famous Europeans during the Victorian Period. For the last few decades of the century, the city was the stomping ground of the “penny mobs“—gangs who staked out their territory and would rob anyone they thought a fitting target. Facts about Crime and Punishment in Victorian Times 2:The Crime Levels 3. The Industrial Revolution brought about a number of changes to manufacturing and transport throughout England between the late 18 th century and early 19 th century. Crime scene photos of Abby Borden as she was found by the police (notice the reflection of the camera in the mirror used by police to document the crime scene) 5. Reward offered by Lizzie and her sister, Emma, for information leading to the killer’s arrest 6. Back then, there was only an unpaid officer to keep order in many places. Still the longest reigning monarch at 63 years (though Queen Elizabeth II should catch her in 2015), Queen Victoria presided over one of the longest and most successful eras of British history. Crime scene photos of Andrew Borden as he was found by the police 4. The Victorian era was a time when in some ways the criminal justice system became more humane. The Victorian era was one of massive changes, including industrial, social, philosophical, and technological transformations. True crime Penny Dreadful’s like Famous Crimes luridly detailed present and past crimes and even Punch got in on the action, eagerly sinking its teeth into grisly foul play and ensuring that the crime, trial and often inevitable execution became national gossip. In Victorian Convicts: 100 Criminal Lives, a collection of one hundred individual cases are presented. Fascinating article! There was no police force as you might know it this day until 1856. These contemporary accounts of murders and their subsequent trials tell us much, not only about actual crimes of the period, but about how people in … Whenever the conversation naturally turns from made-up medical conditions to Victorian-era murders (don't judge our parties, and we won't judge yours), everyone invariably thinks of Jack the Ripper.He sliced his way through Whitechapel in 1888 but was never identified. The Victorian era of Britain is known for its harsh approach to crime and the enforcement of punishments as a result. The maid in question was Kate Webster, who had been taken on by a widow named Julia Martha Thomas in Richmond, Surrey. These are cases which highlight the difficult living conditions and hard times surrounding those living through this period. Amazing how obsessed the people during the Regency/Victorian era were with the dark side of humanity and the macabre, to the point of creating ceramic figures and scenes representing the murderers and the scenes of their crimes.