Autorentext

Stephen Wade is a biographer and social historian, usually associated with crime and law, but here he turns his attention to a place he has known for forty years, as he has lived and worked in Scunthorpe all that time. His most recent books have been "Going to Extremes", "The Justice Women" and three volumes in the "Your Town in the Great War" series (all Pen & Sword), and: No More Soldiering" (Amberley).

Klappentext

From noble intrigues at the restless royal court to the rough justice of parish life, A History of Criminal Tudor England explores how law, transgression, and faith shaped a society perched between medieval order and modern ambition. In a world ruled by the rhythm of the church and the uncertainty of the seasons, theft, murder, and misfortune exposed both the desperation and the ingenuity of England's people.

Drawing on centuries of legal records and the vivid stories buried in the plea rolls and assize courts, this book uncovers a world of accidents and murders, faith and cunning. Here are joiners who built secret priest holes, vagrants who defied their parishes, and killers who escaped the noose by reciting a single verse of scripture.

Through these tales of fear, faith, and fragile justice, we see Tudor England not as a distant past, but as a living, breathing society which was restless, devout, and dangerously human.