The founding of the Police Force | The Strange Case of the Law

Duration: 5'08''

Synopsis

How modern policing began with reforms aimed at preventing crime.

Further Information

More clips from The Strange Case of the Law

00: Learning Zone | The Strange Case of the Law

00: Learning Zone | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 58'53''

A series of 12 films in which barrister Harry Potter looks at the history of English justice, from the early concept of compe...

Habeas Corpus and Slavery | The Strange Case of the Law

Habeas Corpus and Slavery | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 5'52''

The role of Habeas Corpus in challenging the legality of enslavement.

Henry II, Thomas Becket and the church courts | The Strange Case of the Law

Henry II, Thomas Becket and the church courts | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 3'54''

The clash between royal authority and church justice in the 12th century.

Saxon Law Compensation | The Strange Case of the Law

Saxon Law Compensation | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 3'01''

How early Saxon systems used payments to settle disputes and prevent feuds.

Saxon Law Courts | The Strange Case of the Law

Saxon Law Courts | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 3'14''

A look at local communal courts where Saxons gathered to deliver justice.

Saxon punishment | The Strange Case of the Law

Saxon punishment | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 2'58''

The range of penalties used in Saxon England to enforce order.

Star chamber and the rack | The Strange Case of the Law

Star chamber and the rack | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 5'55''

A glimpse into infamous early courts and the coercive methods they used.

The Bloody Code | The Strange Case of the Law

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BBC Two | 2013 | 4'05''

An era when England imposed harsh capital laws for even minor crimes.

The Conventicle Act (1664) and the independence of the jury | The Strange Case of the Law

The Conventicle Act (1664) and the independence of the jury | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 3'39''

How juries resisted government pressure during religious persecution.

The Jury | The Strange Case of the Law

The Jury | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 3'36''

The evolution of the jury from early fact-finding groups to a cornerstone of justice.

The Petition of Right and Habeas Corpus | The Strange Case of the Law

The Petition of Right and Habeas Corpus | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 10'20''

Key legal milestones that strengthened protections against unlawful imprisonment.

Trial by Ordeal | The Strange Case of the Law

Trial by Ordeal | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 6'16''

How medieval societies relied on dangerous tests they believed revealed divine judgment.

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Andrew Marr revisits the Britain of Margaret Thatcher and comes to some surprising conclusions about the British nat...

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BBC Two | 2022 | 7'14''

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BBC Two | 1988 | 2'29''

The setting and context in which the murders in Whitechapel were committed.

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Channel 4 | 2002 | 48'48''

Documentary account, drawn from court records and testimonies, of how Matthew Hopkins and John Stern convicted hundreds of men, ...

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An investigation of the East End of London at the time of the Whitechapel murders.

The Bloody Code | The Strange Case of the Law

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BBC Two | 2013 | 4'05''

An era when England imposed harsh capital laws for even minor crimes.

00: Learning Zone | The Strange Case of the Law

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BBC Two | 2013 | 58'53''

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BBC Two | 2025 | 59'16''

Lucy Worsley takes on the historical cold case of a forgotten Victorian serial killer, dubbed the Thames Torso Murderer, who...

Episode 2 | Lucy Worsley's Victorian Murder Club

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BBC Two | 2025 | 58'59''

Lucy Worsley is hunting a Victorian serial killer who has scattered the remains of three women across London. Could the disc...

Henry II, Thomas Becket and the church courts | The Strange Case of the Law

Henry II, Thomas Becket and the church courts | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 3'54''

The clash between royal authority and church justice in the 12th century.

Legacy of Jack the Ripper | Timewatch

Legacy of Jack the Ripper | Timewatch

BBC Two | 1988 | 2'49''

An introduction to the creation of the myth surrounding Jack the Ripper and why people are still so interested in the case.

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London: A Tale of Two Cities with Dan Cruickshank

BBC Four | 2012 | 1'00'07''

Dan Cruickshank follows in the footsteps of chroniclers John Stow and John Strype to explore London in the 17th century, on...

01: Laying Down the Law | The Strange Case of the Law

01: Laying Down the Law | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2012 | 58'53''

Harry Potter traces English law back to the compensation culture of Anglo-Saxon Kent, explores the rise of trial by ord...

02: The Pursuit of Liberty | The Strange Case of the Law

02: The Pursuit of Liberty | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2012 | 59'06''

Harry Potter relives the struggles and achievements of the 17th and 18th-century figures who used the law to challen...

03: Presumed Innocent | The Strange Case of the Law

03: Presumed Innocent | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2012 | 58'46''

Harry Potter explores the transformation that enshrined fairness in English court procedure and put the defence on an equ...

A theft from Ravensworth Terrace | A House Through Time

A theft from Ravensworth Terrace | A House Through Time

BBC Two | 2019 | 5'51''

David Olusoga explores poverty, law and punishment in 19th century Newcastle through a case of the theft of two umbre...

Art Behind Bars | True North

Art Behind Bars | True North

BBC One | 2023 | 29'10''

For the first time since his release, Stephen Greer returns to the prison where he learnt to paint to teach art to offenders. Will art transform...

Episode 3 | Lucy Worsley's Victorian Murder Club

Episode 3 | Lucy Worsley's Victorian Murder Club

BBC Two | 2025 | 58'53''

The trail has gone cold, but could a new murder 12 years later provide fresh leads? Lucy Worsley’s hunt for a Victorian seri...

Habeas Corpus and Slavery | The Strange Case of the Law

Habeas Corpus and Slavery | The Strange Case of the Law

BBC Two | 2013 | 5'52''

The role of Habeas Corpus in challenging the legality of enslavement.