Mapping Criminal Justice at London's Old Bailey, 1720-1820: From the Night Watch to Proactive Policing

Speakers: Tim Hitchcock (University of Sussex) & Robert Shoemaker (University of Sheffield)

IHR Seminar Series: British History in the Long 18th Century

This paper examines the changing geographical distribution of crimes prosecuted at the Old Bailey (1720 to 1820) using the mapping facilities on the website Locating London’s Past. By assessing the impact of the reform of the Night Watch, the creation of new ‘Rotation Offices’ and the development of forms of proactive policing, it argues that changing patterns of prosecutions reflect changes in policing and access to justice rather than the incidence of crime. The evidence presented here suggests, first, that improvements to the Night Watch made little difference to patterns of prosecution; second, that the Rotation Offices had a limited but measurable impact; and third, that the development of investigative policing transformed the level and geographical distribution of prosecutions in the latter half of our period. A pattern whereby prosecutions were heavily concentrated in the West End in the early eighteenth century was replaced by a more even distribution (with the exception of the City), mapping closely onto the distribution of changes in policing. The paper expands our understanding of the significance of new forms of professional policing, and highlights its role in shifting policing from a focus on community and prevention to more frequent prosecution in London’s main felony court.