Q.1
As there was no police force, many victims of crime hired someone to find the culprit - for a fee. What name was given to these bounty hunters?
  • Private detectives
  • Thief-takers
  • Special constables
  • Crime wardens
Q.2
Which crime was regulated as a capital offence under the 1723 Black Act (amongst others)?
  • Vagrancy
  • Poaching
  • Nagging
  • Blasphemy
Q.3
In Mary Tudor's reign heretics (i.e. those who followed the Protestant faith) could suffer the death penalty, and 300 were killed during her reign (1553-1558). What form of execution did they suffer?
  • Hanging
  • Burning at the stake
  • Drowning
  • Beheading
Q.4
Some towns and villages did employ constables, but they suffered from a crucial weakness. What was it?
  • They worked only part-time
  • They were unpaid
  • They had no powers of arrest
  • They could not pursue suspects beyond the boundaries of the village or town
Q.5
What term was used to describe a robber on foot encountered on the highway?
  • A highwayman
  • A footpad
  • A vagabond
  • A vagrant
Q.6
Transportation overseas was an available punishment. To where were convicts transported until the late 1700s?
  • Australia
  • The North American colonies
  • South Africa
  • New Zealand
Q.7
Women accused of witchcraft often had to undertake a "swimming test". How did this establish guilt or innocence?
  • A woman who floated was deemed to be a witch
  • A woman who sank was deemed to be a witch
  • A woman who drowned was considered guilty, but forgiven
  • A woman who swam was considered to be especially guilty
Q.8
Witchcraft was taken seriously as an offence in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. What did the witch-finders look for on an alleged witch's body to prove guilt?
  • The taint of the Devil
  • The Devil's mark
  • The Devil's finger
  • The Devil's nose
Q.9
In 1688 the death penalty could be imposed for no less than 50 different crimes. Why did courts in fact impose so few death sentences?
  • A shortage of executioners
  • Fear of public unrest over frequent executions
  • A reluctance on the part of juries to convict if they thought that death might ensue
  • The compassionate nature of most judges at the time
Q.10
What was meant by a "bridewell" during this period?
  • A courtroom
  • A prison
  • A work house for the poor
  • The mayor's office
0 h : 0 m : 1 s