Overview

‘The trip was realty beneficial to the students’ learning in an active way. It really made it accessible to those that find learning difficult by learning in a fun way’ (Teachers from Jack Hunt School)

During the early 1800s, Magistrate Thomas Alderson Cooke, lived in a fine Georgian mansion, now Peterborough Museum. This was also a period when the number of laws were increased.

Before your visit, you'll be given details of Peterborough crimes – plus the name and age of Peterborough criminals in the early 1800s. On the day of your visit, enter Priestgate Mansion and face down Magistrate Cooke as you present your case. 

• Meet Magistrate Cooke
  • Discover punishment and how this compares to times past and present. Magistrate Cooke will recount tales of times past and future while assessing cases, as he often did, in his home over breakfast. Will you learn your lesson?
• ‘Crime and Punishment’ themed city tour
  • Pupils will discover stories behind the buildings and spaces in a guided tour of the city centre as they literally retrace the footsteps of past inhabitants and find out where someone really did read the riot act.
• Napoleonic Prison Camp: Fact or Opinion?
  • Pupils will use the Napoleonic Prison Camp gallery space to discover what life was like at Norman Cross for both prisoners and guards. This session focuses on historical enquiry and interpretation, using a range of different sources, sorting statements into ‘Fact’ and ‘Opinion’. At the end they will be asked to justify thinking and reasoning. 

National Curriculum links: History, English, PSHE.

Learning objectives:

Participating in this ‘Crime and Punishment’ session, pupils will:

• Learn about this aspect of social history and the key implications for change.
• Learn about a site (the museum building) from a period beyond 1066 that is significant in the locality.
• Develop greater understanding, knowledge and appreciation of their local history.
• Know how our understanding of the past is constructed from a range of sources.
• Gain confidence in participating in discussions and presentations.
• An understanding of crime and punishment through time.
• An understanding of their role as responsible citizens.