History - Crime and Punishment - 18th and 19th century - Poachers

18th - 19th Century:

Poachers:

Background

• Poaching is a social crime - many people did not regard it as a crime
• It was against the law but many people tolerated it because they as it as unfair
• 1723 Black Act: hunting deer, hare or rabbits was a capital crime and anyone found armed, disguised or with a blackened face in hunting areas was assumed to be poaching and possibly executed
• The laws around poaching were the most unpopular in society

In defense of poaching

• The law was unfair and only there to protect the interests of rich landowners
• Poachers are just poor people who take the occasional animal
• It is a harmless sport, a contest to outwit the gamekeepers
• There is no harm in someone selling the occasional rabbit to make ends meet
• The public have sympathy for poachers and think the death penalty is too harsh

The law

• Only landowners with land worth £100 a year could poach and…