An extended study of gender and crime in early modern England. It considers the ways in which criminal behaviour and perceptions of criminality were informed by ideas about gender and order, and explores their practical consequences for the men and women who were brought before the criminal courts. Dr Walker's innovative approach demonstrates that, contrary to received opinion, the law was often structured so as to make the treatment of women and men before the courts incommensurable. For the first time, early modern criminality is explored in terms of masculinity as well as femininity. Illuminating the interactions between gender and other categories such as class and civil war have implications not merely for the historiography of crime but for the social history of early modern England as a whole. This study therefore goes beyond conventional studies, and challenges hitherto accepted views of social interaction in the period.

Review of the hardback:‘This is a meticulously researched and intelligently argued study which accomplishes a fresh and compelling treatment of many issues familiar to historians of crime.’

Source: Cultural and Social History

Review of the hardback:‘This book represents the first systematic attempt to view gender, crime and judicial processes in early modern England … This is a fine study of the gendered context of crime …’

Source: Journal of Continuity and Change