Irish female criminality in nineteenth century London.

Abstract

As a consequence of the Great Famine, many Irish were forced to migrate to London in the hopes of finding gainful employment and relief from starvation. A large percentage of these immigrants moved to impoverished neighborhoods or rookeries to join established Irish populations. Inadequate housing, irregular employment, and subsequent health and crime problems arose because of the lack of proper provisions for the poor. These factors led to personal and social maladjustments, which at times found expression in criminal behavior leading to contact with the police and resulting in high proportions of Irish cases in the courts. Of particular interest to this thesis are the understudied female Irish criminals living and operating within central London in the nineteenth century and the subsequent treatment of Roman Catholic Irish women within the best-known London prison, Tothill Fields.