This project examines gender differences in recorded crime and changing concepts of crime and gender and the public roles of men and women in England (London area), the Netherlands (Amsterdam) (1811-1913), Italy (Bologna) (1813-1913) and France (Le Havre) (1815-1913). After ca. 1795-1811, due to Napoleon’s centralisation policies, many countries in Western Europe introduced a national judicial system, resulting in important changes regarding prosecution policies and the administration of crime. In order to include this crucial period, national statistics, criminal registers, and prison records of various areas in England, France, Italy and the Netherlands between ca. 1811 and 1913 will be examined. This research will highlight the prosecution policies and their incidence over male and female crime rates.

• crime history
• early modern history
• gender
• political history