London’s long history of crime comes under scrutiny at The London Archives

London’s long and often uneasy relationship with justice is explored in a new exhibition examining nearly seven centuries of crime, punishment and public spectacle, with the Londoners on Trial exhibition opening this spring at The London Archives in Clerkenwell.

Londoners on Trial: Crime, Courts and the Public 1244–1924 opens on 9 March and brings together victims, defendants, witnesses and law enforcers to tell the story of how justice was administered in the capital from the medieval period through to the early twentieth century.

Drawn from one of the most extensive archival collections in the country, the exhibition reflects a city in which legal authority reached deep into everyday life. Londoners were subject to a dense network of criminal, civic and religious courts, and the records of their offences and punishments now form some of the largest holdings at The London Archives.

The exhibition traces what it meant to be accused, judged and punished in London, from time in the dock or the stocks to imprisonment and execution. It also examines those who enforced the law, revealing how power, punishment and public opinion shaped the city over centuries.

Alongside familiar names such as Oscar Wilde and Sylvia Pankhurst, the Londoners on Trial exhibition brings attention to lesser-known individuals whose lives were caught up in the justice system.

These include John Anthony, a Londoner of Chinese heritage living in the Georgian East End who worked as an interpreter at the Old Bailey; Moll Cutpurse, the notorious seventeenth-century criminal who became a celebrity figure within London’s underworld; William Anthony, one of the last nightwatchmen, born in 1789 and photographed in 1863; and John Coleman, sentenced to hard labour in 1837 for stealing currants from a garden in Edmonton.

The exhibition also explores the public’s enduring fascination with crime, drawing on publications and artworks that portrayed trials, criminals and policing. Original works by Hogarth and Whistler sit alongside material that reflects how justice was observed, discussed and consumed by Londoners themselves.

Brendan Barns, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee, said the exhibition continues a tradition of accessible, rigorously researched public history.

“Our exhibitions at The London Archives never disappoint, not only by being free to view and accessible to everyone, but for how they are meticulously researched and presented with a strong emphasis on visually engaging material,” he said.

“Crime, criminality and how people are punished for their offences have always fascinated us. This exhibition, spanning nearly seven centuries of wrongdoing from the reign of Henry III to the reign of George V, promises to be compelling and thought-provoking.”

The London Archives forms part of the City of London Corporation’s wider cultural and heritage portfolio, which supports institutions including the Barbican Centre, Tower Bridge and Guildhall Art Gallery. The exhibition sits within a broader programme of public engagement that reflects how London’s past continues to shape its present.

Further context on the exhibition and visitor information can be found via The London Archives, which holds millions of records charting the capital’s legal, social and political history.

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