Agent Provocateur         
An undercover agent, employed to gain the trust of suspects to tempt them to do something illegal so they can be arrested and punished.

Assizes                       
Judicial courts held in England and Wales up to 1971, replaced by Crown Courts.

Attorney            
A Lawyer or somebody legally empowered to make                                                                  decisions and act on someone else’s behalf.

Attorney – General   
The government’s chief legal officer and adviser.

Chartist                        
A person or persons, who believed that through Political
and Social reform (change) the Parliamentary voting system should be changed.

Commutation             
The reduction of a sentence to a less severe punishment.

Constituency              
A single area, defined by boundaries, for the purpose of  electing an MP.

Democracy                
A type of government in which power is invested in the people as a whole, exercised of their behalf by elected representatives.

Grand Jury                
A panel of 23 jurors who decide if there are grounds for a trial.

Indictment                   
A formal accusation and written accusation of a serious crime presented to court.

Libel                            
False and malicious written statements that damage someone’s reputation.

Nonconformist          
Member of a church or chapel outside the established Church of England.

Penal Colony
Where prisoners were sent as punishment, to a remote and inhospitable island, which separated them from the general population. Prisoners were usually made to do hard labour too.

Petition                       
A piece of paper that many people sign to support an idea or fact which may help towards awareness of subject matter and possible change.

Pew Rent                    
Money paid to secure seats in a particular pew in church.

Queen’s Evidence    
Evidence for the prosecution, given by someone who took part in the crime, in exchange for leniency.

Riot Act                       
English Law (1714 – 1973) which said people making a public disturbance had to disperse   within an hour of the act being read to them by a magistrate.

Sedition                      
Words or actions designed to incite or provoke rebellion against the government.

Special Commission 
When face with serious offences threatening order, such as treason and sedition, the Government had authority to appoint a Special Commission to hear a case quickly.

The Black Domain    
The Monmouthshire coalfield between Nelson and Crumlin, where ‘sale’ coal was produced.

The People’s Charter        
Six constitutional reforms of Parliament demanded by the Chartists.

Tory                             
Aristocratic supporters of the Stuart King after the restoration. During                                   Victoria’s reign they became the Conservative Party.

Transportation          
Exile to Tasmania, as punishment.

Treason                      
Committing of a crime which seriously threatens the safety of your country or head of state.

True Bill                      
Approval for a trial of somebody to take place.

Whig                                       
Aristocrats who feared the return of the Stuarts. They were supporters of the Glorious Revolution of William and Mary in 1688. In Victoria’s reign they became the core of the Liberal Party.