Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables
- List of Abbrevations
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- ‘Ghastly Statistics’: a Word of Warning
- 1 The Black Spot on the Mersey
- 2 Policing
- 3 Prison and Punishment
- 4 Children and Women in the Justice System
- 5 ‘The Scum of Ireland’
- 6 Protest, Riot and Disorder
- 7 The Lowest Circle of Hell
- 8 The Demon Drink
- 9 Violence
- 10 Maritime Crime
- 11 Street Robbery
- 12 Burglary and Property Theft
- 13 Poaching Wars
- 14 Scams
- 15 Victorian Family Values
- 16 ‘The Devil's Children’
- 17 Gangs and Anti-Social Behaviour
- 18 Prostitution
- 19 Sport and Gambling
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
12 - Burglary and Property Theft
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables
- List of Abbrevations
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- ‘Ghastly Statistics’: a Word of Warning
- 1 The Black Spot on the Mersey
- 2 Policing
- 3 Prison and Punishment
- 4 Children and Women in the Justice System
- 5 ‘The Scum of Ireland’
- 6 Protest, Riot and Disorder
- 7 The Lowest Circle of Hell
- 8 The Demon Drink
- 9 Violence
- 10 Maritime Crime
- 11 Street Robbery
- 12 Burglary and Property Theft
- 13 Poaching Wars
- 14 Scams
- 15 Victorian Family Values
- 16 ‘The Devil's Children’
- 17 Gangs and Anti-Social Behaviour
- 18 Prostitution
- 19 Sport and Gambling
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Domestic Burglary
Liverpool's economic growth helped entrepreneurs boost their wealth through thriving business opportunities connected with shipping and its accompanying industries. Eventually the rich merchants began to move to grander houses in more affluent and isolated areas such as West Derby and Knotty Ash, free from the grime and bustle of the town centre. They were also able to fill their homes with expensive ornaments and jewellery. Some envious individuals from the backstreet slums must have looked at these grand palaces and seen their own business opportunities. In underworld parlance, these properties were simply ‘cribs’ to be ‘cracked’.
The rich were justifiably anxious about guarding their wealth from the desperate hordes. The north end of Toxteth saw 20,000 poor people crammed together in squalor. In 1816, after the Napoleonic wars, there was an economic slump that caused further misery. In response, robbers formed themselves into gangs to commit highway robbery and burglary. The wealthier southern side of Toxteth Park formed its own private patrols to protect property. It was not uncommon for people to carry a brace of pistols when travelling alone at night. During a spate of burglaries, residents not only became vigilantes for their mutual protection but also created an early form of neighbourhood watch. Householders put large bells on the top of their houses to be rung as an alarmto alert other tenants. On hearing a bell ring, they would turn out with heavy sticks to administer swift justice to the marauders.
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- Chapter
- Information
- The Liverpool UnderworldCrime in the City, 1750–1900, pp. 168 - 180Publisher: Liverpool University PressPrint publication year: 2011