Anglo-Saxon C100 Flashcards
What did Anglo Saxon law enforcement base around?
The local community
What kind of law enforcement did Anglo Saxons lack?
A police force.
What are tithings?
Men over the age of 12 was expected to join tithings. They were responsible for each other’s behaviour. If one broke the law, the others had to bring them to court or pay a fine.
What’s Hue and Cry?
Calling out for help, mostly by screaming ‘thief!’ The entire village was expected to join in chasing the criminal. If not the whole village would pay a heavy fine.
What two types of trials did Anglo Saxons use?
Trial by ordeal and Trial by local jury
What was trial by local jury made up of?
Men from the village who knew both the accuser and the accused
How did trial by local jury work?
The accuser and the accused would tell their side of the story and the jury would decide who was telling the truth
Were the Anglos very religious or not?
They were a very religious society.
What would they turn to if local jury couldn’t decide who was guilty?
They turned to trial by ordeal.
What were the different types of trial by ordeals?
Trial by hot iron, Trial by hot water, Trial by blessed bread, Trial by cold water.
Features of Trial by hot iron.
Usually taken by women
The accused picked up a red-hot weight and walked three places with it. The hand was bandaged and unwrapped three days later. The accused was innocent of the wound was healing cleanly or guilty if it was festering.
Features of Trail by blessed bread.
Taken by priests
A priest prayed that the accused would choke on the bread if they lied. The accused at bread and found guilty if he chocked.
Features of Trial by hot water.
Usually taken by men.
The accused put his hand into boiling water to pick up an object the hand or arm was bandaged and unwrapped three days later. The accused was innocent if the wound was healing cleanly ,but guilty if it was festering.
Features of Trial by cold water.
Usually taken by men.
The accused was tied with a knot above the waist and lowered into the water on the end of a rope. If the accused sank below God’s pure water then he was judged innocent. If the accused had floated, then he had been ‘rejected’ by the pure water and was found guilty.
Which trial by ordeal took place outside of the church?
Trial by cold water.
