Crime, Courtrooms and the Public Sphere in Britain, 1700-1850

Focusing on the 'long eighteenth century' this collection of essays charts the transition of British legal proceedings from early scenes of noise and disorder, to a much more rigid and solemn atmosphere by the start of the nineteenth century. Through an investigation into the extent to which legal proceedings may be understood as theatre and counter-theatre, the impact of lawyers' intervention in the courtroom, and the role and impact of print media in relation to trials, the volume opens up fascinating vistas upon the cultural dimensions of Britain's law courts.