3.19 Law and Order

Question 1

What was the Great Council?

Answer 1

CURIA REGIS - leading subjects who gave advice. Meet 3 times a year.

Question 2

What did the King have the power to do? (3)

Answer 2

• Make laws for the whole kingdom.
• Raise taxes on a national level.
• Certain more serious legal cases, “royal pleas”, were only heard. by king or in King’s court.

Question 3

How did the King show his power? (4)

Answer 3

• Coronation ceremony to show he had God’s approval.
• Ritual “crown - wearings” (ceremonies) to remind his followers of his unique role => also wore it 3x a year when Great Council met.
• Coins showed him wearing a crown.
• Patronage => would offer land and grant offices such as sheriffdoms. gave jobs. But can also take all of this away.

Question 4

Who did the Government also include? (4)

Answer 4

• Royal household => looked after W everyday needs.
• Knights of Royal household => provided security.
• Treasury => looked after by financial office - finances.
• Chancery => group of royal clerks, wrote royal documents, provided administration. AS feature W kept - not in N.

Question 5

What was the Writ?

Answer 5

Written order sent out across the country to be carried out by the local government. It was a short document that gave notifications and orders to be sent around the city.

Question 6

How did local government stay the same? (2)

Answer 6

• England split into 13 shires with shire-reeves in charge of each one. Each shire had capital justice and organised tax payment. Shires split into hundreds.
• Sheriff’s duties => making annual payments to King, presiding over Shire courts, collecting taxes and raising armies. Vital link between King and local area.

Question 7

How did the local government change? (3)

Answer 7

• Sheriff acted as barons deputy.
• Almost all AS sheriffs were replaced by N gradually as loyal sheriffs are vital to maintaining control over land.
• New roles such as castellans, created (looked after royal forests and castles). Role of castellan may be performed by sheriff/ local lord.

Question 8

What was the King’s court?

Answer 8

Dealt with most serious crimes and decisions made by the King - also heard appeals from other courts.

Question 9

What were Shire courts?

Answer 9

Now met more regularly and supervised by sheriff (sometimes bishop). Judges were local landowners or the sheriff. Heard disputes over land or crimes involving violence/theft.

Question 10

What were Hundred courts?

Answer 10

Held monthly with bailiff in charge - who was appointed by sheriff. Some hundreds still privately held - if so Lord would be in charge. Dealt with minor disputes.

Question 11

What were Lord’s courts/ Honourial courts?

Answer 11

Introduced by normans for Lord to deal with his tenants. Dealt with crime/disputes and supervised property transactions or made announcements of new laws for King. Tenants also gave Lord’s advice at these courts - like the King in his court.

Question 12

What were Manor courts?

Answer 12

Most minor courts - dealt with day to day life in the village => like ploughing being carried out poorly, or labour not being supplied. Male villeins would also pay for licences to marry. Courts controlled by Lord of the manor.

Question 13

What is a forest in a medieval sense?

Answer 13

A legally defined area, subject to special laws, where the ‘beasts of the chase’ (deer and wild boars) were protected for the pleasure of the monarch.

Question 14

What were forest laws?

Answer 14

The laws to preserve the deer for the monarch.

Question 15

How much of England became protected Royal Forests?

Answer 15

30%

Question 16

What did Forest Laws ban you from doing? (4)

Answer 16

• Cutting down trees
• Owning a dog if you lived near a forest
• Owning a bow and arrow if you lived near a forest
• Killing a deer if it wandered out the forest and ate your crops

Question 17

What were the punishments for breaking Forest laws? (3)

Answer 17

• Caught once, bow fingers were cut off.
• Caught twice, eyes would be ‘put out’.
• Caught three times you would be put to death.

Question 18

What was important about forest laws? (3)

Answer 18

• Important extension of royal authority.
• Large network of forest officials policed forest laws and fines/ special forest taxes added to the monarch’s wealth.
• Added to King’s ability to maintain law and order in lawless areas, by restricting the movement of troublesome areas.

Question 19

What were Murdrum fines?

Answer 19

N introduced murdrum fines. Special system to protect N from AS hostility. If N earl was killed and murderer hadn’t been found in 5 days, the whole hundred would be fined. Introduced because of number of new N earls vulnerable to being attacked. Fines helped to reduce violence against N, but when attacks did occur => provided valuable income for King.

Question 20

What are 2 other ways the Normans changed the legal system?

Answer 20

• Ended practice of criminals paying compensation to families of victim, instead paid fines to the government.
• More modern => laws were written rather than oral.

Question 21

What language were all Laws, via writs and charters, recorded in?

Answer 21

Latin => became language of the government.

Question 22

How did Normans change the punishment system?

Answer 22

Used the same mutilation and ordeal system, but often more brutal.

Question 23

How did trial by ordeal?

Answer 23

People believed that if a person was innocent of a crime then they would be saved by God. Continuation of AS.

Question 24

What was ordeal by fire?

Answer 24

Involved person putting arm into cauldron of boiling water or holding red hot bar and walking 3 paces. Wound was bandaged and if it started to heal after 3 days, person was innocent.

Question 25

What was ordeal by combat?

Answer 25

Person was strapped to chair and thrown into lake. If sank, innocent. If floated, guilty and executed.

Question 26

What was ordeal by combat?

Answer 26

Introduced by N. If nobleman accused of crime, he would fight his accuser, and whoever won was thought to be right.

Question 27

What was the right of sanctuary?

Answer 27

A criminal could get to the sanctuary of the church could not be arrested. They had 40 days after church bell tolled to decide whether to stand trial or leave country. Wore a black gown with yellow cross on shoulder in church. If chose to be exiled, carry white cross while travelled to coast.

Question 28

Did Church courts use death penalty?

Answer 28

No

Question 29

What was ‘the neck verse’?

Answer 29

Assumed only priests could read, so to claim ‘benefit of clergy’ had to read Bible passage. Same verse used every time, so criminals could learn verse off by heart to gain trial in church courts. Nicknamed ‘the neck verse’.

Question 30

What were Constables?

Answer 30

They had power to arrest people, break up fights and prevent fires. Held key to stocks - punishment for some minor offences. Weren’t paid much and often had other work to supplement income.

Question 31

What were Watchmen?

Answer 31

Most towns had watchmen who tried to make sure people kept curfew. There to prevent crime and to catch criminals. They were volunteers or given job as a duty. Many didn’t take role seriously and regarded duty time as chance to drink with friends.

Question 32

What was the Hue and Cry?

Answer 32

System for catching criminals after an offence had occurred. Meant everyone had duty to raise alarm if saw crime taking place and everyone who heard alarm had to help catch suspect. If ignored hue and cry => fined.

Question 33

What was Tithing?

Answer 33

Group of 10-12 freemen, promised to prevent each other from committing crimes. If one did, they had to reveal guilty one or risk whole group punishment - usually a fine. However many guilty men escape => some sought sanctuary in Church.