Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
Poverty & Crime in Whitechapel (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Natasha Smith
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Why was There a Link Between Poverty & Crime in Whitechapel? - Summary
In Whitechapel, there was a strong link between poverty and crime. Charles Booth was a shipowner and social reformer. He created a series of poverty maps of London between 1881 and 1903 to show the link between living conditions and crime. To highlight his findings, Booth colour-coded each street in London. Bright colours of pink and red indicated wealth whereas dark colours of black and navy showed poverty. His map of Whitechapel showed some areas of wealth on Whitechapel Road and Commercial Road. Vast areas of Whitechapel around Flower and Dean Street contained black colouring. This indicated ‘Lowest classes, vicious and semi-criminal’. These areas were notorious for crime. Theft was common in the rookeries of Whitechapel. Criminals often used children to pickpocket people’s purses and pocket watches. More serious crimes like robbery and murder also occurred. Issues such as poverty, alcoholism and unemployment meant that the people of Whitechapel were more likely to commit crimes than in other areas of Britain and London. |
What Caused Poverty in Whitechapel?
Between c1870 and c1900, there were many causes of poverty in Whitechapel
Causes of poverty in Whitechapel
The Environment of Whitechapel and Crime
The construction of Whitechapel increased crime in the area
How was Whitechapel a perfect place for crime?
Feature of Whitechapel’s construction | How did this increase crime? |
|---|---|
Narrow alleyways | A criminal with local knowledge could navigate through the maze of streets and escape the police |
Poor street lighting | Criminals could use the lack of lighting to commit their crimes undetected. Levels of crime were high at nighttime |
Air pollution caused low visibility | A person could become a victim of a crime without being able to see the criminal |
A large number of workhouses and orphanages | Many poor people and orphans were desperate to avoid the workhouse, leading to a life of crime |
A large number of rookeries | Overcrowded and poor-quality housing exposed people to more opportunities to become the victim of crimes such as theft |
A large number of sweatshops | Poor working conditions in Whitechapel decreased a person’s life expectancy. A death in the family could lead to a life of crime to make up for this loss of income |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This is the historic environment section of Crime and Punishment. It focuses on understanding the development of crime within the context of Whitechapel. Use the table above. This will help you to remember the importance of each feature of Whitechapel’s construction for criminal activity. For example, poor street lighting was crucial for criminals to get away with their crimes without being identified.
The Residuum
The Residuum is the term for the unemployed or ‘idle poor’ in the 1800s
The Residuum was a collective term for the people who had no or irregular income
Society feared the Residuum
Victorians believed that the Residuum were the criminal underworld of towns and cities
They accused the Residuum of being supported and paid for by the hardworking people in society
Due to this attitude, people were reluctant to support the ‘idle’ poor in society
Victorians had a laissez faire attitude. This meant that they believed that people should work themselves out of poverty rather than rely on charity or crime
The Impact of Lodging Houses and Pubs on Crime in Whitechapel
Lodging houses
Criminals recruited in lodging houses
They offered an alternative to the workhouse
Lodging houses concerned wealthier residents of Whitechapel
They became scared of becoming the victims of crime
Lodging houses were not permanent houses for people
Many migrants only had casual work and could not afford a home
Lodging houses did not create a sense of belonging or community
Whitechapel’s population fluctuated as people moved out of the area to find work
Criminals often travelled between lodging houses. This made tracking down criminals very difficult for the police
Conditions in lodging houses also contributed to high crime rates in Whitechapel
Lodging houses offered low-quality and unhygienic shelter for the poor
To escape these conditions, some people pursued a life of crime
Pubs
Alcohol was a significant problem in Whitechapel
Alcohol was affordable
Gin was a popular drink for the poor
Many people became alcoholics to forget how poor their quality of life was
There were many pubs in Whitechapel
In one mile in Whitechapel, there were 45 pubs and gin palaces
Alcohol led to crime
Drunkenness often led to violent crimes such as assault
People would steal to afford to buy more alcohol
Prostitution became a serious concern in Whitechapel
Some women worked in brothels
This provided them with some protection
There were roughly 62 brothels in Whitechapel
Other women walked the streets looking for customers
These women were vulnerable to rape and assault
Prostitution was not illegal. People saw prostitution as a social issue
Society called prostitutes ‘unfortunates’
Most middle-class people had minimal sympathy for prostitutes and did not understand why a woman would prostitute herself
There were approximately 1,200 prostitutes in Whitechapel
The impact of poverty and crime in Whitechapel
Worked Example
Describe one feature of the way the environment of Whitechapel helped to increase levels of crime
2 marks
Answers:
One way that the environment of Whitechapel increased crime was the narrow alleyways. (1) The streets in some areas of Whitechapel were like a maze that criminals with local knowledge could use to run away from the police (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
When answering ‘Describe one feature of…’ questions, two marks are given to you for:
Identify - write a relevant point based on the question topic (1)
Describe - add some specific own knowledge about the point you have made (1)
This question previously asked students to describe two features of a given event. This question was out of four marks. However, as of 2025, Edexcel will split this question into two subsections, asking you to describe a feature of two different events. Each subsection is worth two marks.
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