Britain’s Bloody Code: From Capital Offences to the Last Hanging

From a handful of capital offences to over two hundred by the 19th century, Britain’s Bloody Code carved an expansive web of death penalties for theft and property crimes. The episode unpacks how courts, juries and judges wielded this brutal law, how public hangings fell as transport rose, and why reformers finally saw a shift away from state‑sanctioned death; it also explores how the code’s legacy continues to haunt modern debates over punishment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices