Prosecuting London’s Fraudsters 1760-1820

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.