Property Crimes and the Criminals Behind it History of Theft
Theft is not unique to modern times the theft of personal property has been known throughout history. The crusades of the eleventh century inspired peasants and downtrodden noblemen to leave the shelter of their of estates to prey upon passing pilgrims. Crusades felt it was within their rights to appropriate the possessions of any infidels Greeks, Jews, or Muslims they happened to encounter during their travels. By the thirteenth century, returning pilgrims not content to live as serfs on feudal estates, gathered in the forests of England and the continent to poach game that was the rightful property of their lord or king and when possible to steal from passing strangers. By the fourteenth century, many such highwaymen and poachers were full-time thieves, stealing great numbers of cattle and sheep and terrorizing the countryside. The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries brought hostilities between England and France in the Hundred Years’ War. Foreign mercenary troops fighting for both sides roamed the countryside; loot and pillage were viewed as a rightful part of their pay. As cities developed and a permanent class of property less urban poor came into being, theft became more professional. By the eighteenth century, three separate groups of property criminals were active: Skilled thieves typically worked in the large cities, such as London and Paris. This group included pickpocket, forgers, and counterfeiters, who operated freely. They congregated in “flash houses” public meeting places, often taverns that served as headquarters for gang. Here deals were made, crimes were plotted, and the sale of stolen goods was negotiated.
Smugglers moved freely in sparsely populated areas and transported goods, such as spirits, gems, gold, and spices, without paying taxes or duty.
Poachers typically lived in the