By Victor Bailey

The history of English criminal justice has been my research focus for over forty years, yet a documentary history of the ‘long’ nineteenth century, covering the years from 1776 to 1914, was always likely to be a mite challenging for a single author. It is at such times that one is reminded of the value of the community of historians, whose scholarship is invaluable when ‘quick study’ is required. I have relied heavily on the research of historians Doug Hay and John Beattie, as well as the scholarship of those they so effectively supervised: Simon Devereaux, Allyson May, and Greg Smith. By the same token, this four-volume edifice rests heavily on the research of Peter King, Randy McGowen, David Philips, Marty Wiener, Sean McConville, and Vic Gatrell. Finally, we are all in debt to Robert Shoemaker, Tim Hitchcock, and Clive Emsley for their scholarly direction of the Old Bailey Proceedings Online.

Taylor & Francis Group, Volume II, Justice, Mercy, Death, 2022, 41p.