Teaching resources
Timeline
| 1777 | John Howard and prison reform |
| Writes a book 'The State of Prisons in England and Wales' where he says that Prisons are in need of reform | |
| 1787 | Transportation to Australia |
| First fleet sails to Australia, taking 736 convicts | |
| 1798 | River Police |
| River police set up to patrol the River Thames in London | |
| 1800 | Theft |
| 75% of all crimes are 'petty theft' | |
| 1808 | Pickpocketing |
| Law passed which stops the death penalty being used as a punishment for pickpockets | |
| 1811 | The Luddites |
| Unemployed workers try to destroy new factories and machinery which are threatening their jobs | |
| 1815 | Elizabeth Fry and prison reform |
| She begins working in Newgate Prison to improve conditions for women prisoners | |
| 1815 | Gaolers paid |
| Gaolers are paid by the Government, and no longer have to rely on what money they can get from prisoners to earn a living | |
| 1818 | Treadmill introduced |
| Prisoners walk around a wheel, grinding corn, etc, as a means of doing useful work | |
| 1819 | Peterloo |
| Soldiers kill protesters at a big protest rally in Manchester | |
| 1819 | The Six Acts |
| Severe punishments introduced for protesters | |
| 1820 | Flogging of women |
| Law passed stopping flogging of women in prison | |
| 1820s | The 'Bloody Code' |
| Over 200 offences could be punished by hanging | |
| 1820 | Cato Street Conspiracy |
| Some people attempt to blow up the Government, are caught and executed - by beheading | |
| 1820 | Beheading |
| The last prisoner sentenced to death by beheading is executed | |
| 1823 | Gaol Act |
| Prisons must be healthy, and that men and women prisoners are to be kept separate | |
| 1823 | Gaol Act |
| Women prisoners must have women warders | |
| 1824 | Gaol Sessions Act |
| Justices of the Peace made responsible for managing county gaols | |
| 1828 | Huntingdon Gaol |
| Huntingdon Gaol opens | |
| 1829 | Metropolitan Police |
| Sir Robert Peel sets up a police force for London – policemen are nicknamed 'peelers' | |
| 1830-31 | Captain Swing Riots |
| Farm workers, put out of work by the new threshing machines, wreck them and burn haystacks across the country | |
| 1831 | Reform Act Riots |
| The House of Lords blocks a bill that would give the vote to many more men, leading to riots across much of the country | |
| 1832 | Reform Act |
| Middle class men get the right to vote | |
| 1833 | Prison Inspectors |
| First prison inspectors appointed by the Government | |
| 1834 | Tolpuddle Martyrs |
| Farm Labourers in Dorset - who try to form a trade union to get higher wages – are transported to Australia | |
| 1835 | Police Forces in towns |
| Towns are allowed to set up their own police forces | |
| 1836 | Defence lawyers |
| Prisoners on trial for felony first allowed to have a lawyer to defend them | |
| 1837 | Queen Victoria |
| Queen Victoria becomes queen | |
| 1837 | Pillory |
| Pillory will no longer be used as a punishment | |
| 1838 | Parkhurst Prison opens |
| This is a prison designed especially for young offenders, to keep them separate from hardened criminals | |
| 1839 | Prison Rules |
| The Government makes rules that all prisons must follow | |
| 1839 | Police Forces in Counties |
| Counties are allowed to set up their own police forces | |
| 1840 | The 'Bloody Code' |
| Only 5 crimes could now be punished by hanging | |
| 1842 | Detectives |
| First non-uniformed police, called detectives, are set up at Scotland Yard in London | |
| 1842 | Pentonville Prison opens |
| A 'model prison' using the new methods of punishment - opens | |
| 1842-43 | Rebecca Riots |
| 1847 | Juvenile Offences Act |
| Young people under 16 are to be tried in a special court | |
| 1850s | Separate System |
| Criminals are punished by keeping them in solitary confinement all the time they are in prison | |
| 1850s | Silent System |
| Prisoners are allowed to mix with other prisoners, but must remain silent at all times | |
| 1852 | Transportation |
| Transportation ended as a punishment for women prisoners | |
| 1853 | Brixton Prison |
| Brixton opens as a prison solely for women prisoners | |
| 1854 | Reformatory School |
| Reform Schools are set up for children to stop them from committing crime again, and to teach them a trade | |
| 1856 | Police Forces |
| Government passes a law saying that every town in the country must now have a police force | |
| 1857 | Hulks |
| Government stops using hulks – old sailing ships – as prisons | |
| 1864 | Penal Servitude Act |
| Because of the increasing crime rate, tougher sentences and punishments, including electric shocks for those not working hard enough in prison, are introduced | |
| 1865 | Prison Act |
| Male prisoners made to spend at least 3 months of their sentence on the Treadmill or Crank | |
| 1867 | Witnesses |
| Prisoners on trial for felony are allowed to call witnesses for the first time | |
| 1868 | Transportation |
| Transportation ends as a punishment for men | |
| 1868 | Hanging |
| The last execution takes place in public. From now on they will all be inside the prison walls | |
| 1869 | Habitual Criminals Act |
| Some prisoners were let out early ‘on a ticket of leave.’ People were concerned that they were re-offending. If ‘ticket’ prisoners could not prove they had a job they were to be sent back to prison. The Act also set up a system of centrally recording all crime. | |
| 1869 | Imprisonment for Debt Act |
| Many people in debt were sent to prison until they could pay off their debts. This Act stopped that for most people | |
| 1870 | Police Helmets |
| Police helmets are introduced for the first time | |
| 1871 | Prevention of Crime Act |
| Introduced compulsory photographing of all prisoners | |
| 1872 | Stocks |
| Use of the stocks as a punishment stopped | |
| 1877 | National Prison Service |
| The Government now controls all prisons. They become 'Her Majesty’s prisons', controlled by the Home Secretary | |
| 1878 | Government control of prisons |
| All prisons will now be run by the Government | |
| 1898 | Statements |
| Prisoners on trial for felony can give sworn evidence for the first time. | |
| 1899 | Borstals |
| Special prisons for young people are set up | |
| 1900 | The 'Bloody Code' |
| Only two crimes – murder and treason – can now be punished by hanging | |
| 1901 | Finger printing |
| First use of finger printing in a criminal case | |
| 1901 | Edward VII |
| Edward VII becomes king |
Additional resources for this page
- Timeline (255 KB, Microsoft Word Document)
