Property crime of 18th-century Halifax : an anthropological approach

Abstract

This thesis examines the property crimes of 18th-century Halifax, Nova Scotia from the years of 1749 to 1770. In this study an investigation of the judicial system of a British colony is produced, along an evaluation of how it changed through the years of 1749 to 1770. Furthermore, the study first examines the way in which property crimes were prosecuted in 18th-century Britain, in order to give a foundation of how this system was implemented and altered in a colonial setting. This study uses archival sources that are available through the Nova Scotia Archives to determine the rate at which property crime increased and decreased in the years under investigation. Moreover, the data collected is used to indicate the similarities and differences found between the judicial structure of Britain and the colony of Halifax. From the findings, this thesis then examines the greater context of Halifax, which suggests why these differences may have occurred between the two justice systems. In examining the way in which Halifax prosecuted property crimes, it was found that when placed in a colonial setting, Britain’s judicial system transformed in order to conform to the social realities of the society. The findings of this thesis illustrate that social structures have the ability to develop and change in accordance to societal factors and the context in which it is found in. Colonial Halifax was a developing British colony that underwent continuous change to adapt to its realities. This thesis argues that Halifax’s 18th-century justice system was no exception to this process of change.