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

Modern 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. However, as this volume shows, this is a relatively recent phenomenon. During the eighteenth-century criminal 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 charts the progression from early scenes of popular participation to the much more orderly and professional legal proceedings typical of the nineteenth century. By focusing on the 'long eighteenth century' period of transition in the administration of law, the collection also throws light upon the wider national perceptions of governance and law which was likewise in a state of change. With the proliferation of the press media, news and comment about trials and punishments became a staple of public attention, and thus a focus of debates about the role and proper conduct of the law. The essays in this collection address these conjunctions on three broad fronts: the extent to which legal proceedings may be understood as theatre and counter-theatre, 1700-1850; the impact of lawyers' intervention in the courtroom; and the role and impact of print media in relation to trials. In so doing the volume as a whole opens up fascinating vistas upon the cultural development history of Britain's legal system.