Prosecuting London’s Fraudsters 1760-1820
Swindlers, Tricksters and the Law
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publishing:24th Jun '27
£85.00
This title is due to be published on 24th June, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
A historical exploration into the prosecution of fraud in late 18th and early 19th century London.
Fraud is often thought of as a very modern-day crime. This book traces the historical beginnings of fraudulent activity, identifying fraud offences, its prosecutors and its punishments in late 18th and early 19th century London.
In studying how fraud was prosecuted, Griffiths demonstrates how financial crime was shaped over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries. Using under-studied manuscript court records, Prosecuting London’s Fraudsters unveils how, and for whom, the criminal justice system operated in the 18th century and exposes its role in sowing the early seeds of capitalism. Centring on Old Bailey records, City of London officials’ notes, government financial records and more obscure materials from contemporary practitioners, this book traces the prosecution of fraud from the lowest to the highest criminal courts in London, offering a holistic view of fraud prosecution in the Georgian period and a better understanding of the history of financial crime.
“An absorbing account of fraudulent themes and devices which cascade down through the ages. The parallels between modern identity, phishing and online frauds have their origins in the coffee shops of eighteenth-century London. The machinery of the Law may have changed but the ingenuity of the swindler endures. Dr Griffiths is both incisive and entertaining in her style, but the book effectively poses a perhaps uncomfortable rhetorical question- will we ever learn?
An essential read for Practitioners, students and anyone interested in the history and development of fraud and the Courts ability or otherwise to deal with such conduct effectively.”
"Fascinating. A deep and intriguing look into how everything and nothing changes and how the forces chasing fraudsters are forever playing catch-up with the schemes devised to deprive the unwary of their property. A warning that as society changes and grows, so do the opportunities for scams big and small. Dr Griffiths describes that notwithstanding the increasing use of technology to trick victims, the methods of fraud remain deep down the same. The troubling message to take away from this enthralling book is how, even after centuries of relegating fraud to the sidelines, the authorities continue to make the same mistakes.” * His Honour Judge, Darren Prest
ISBN: 9781350151741
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
272 pages