Law, morality and regulation: Victorian experiences of financial crime

This paper examines Britain's experiences of financial crimes during the second half of the nineteenth century, but it focuses on the actual processes of criminalizing business activity which have been largely neglected by scholars. Through reference to three key criminal trials dating from 1850 to 1880, observations are made on the ways in which Victorian concerns about business activity translated into responses to financial crime. In doing so, the paper considers how the directions taken in these earliest proceedings can cast light on Victorian understandings of the 'problem' of financial crime. © The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (ISTD). All rights reserved.