Crime and punishment in medieval England c1000-c1500 Flashcards
What was law enforcement like under Anglo-Saxons
• Based around local community
• Tithings
• Hue and cry
• Trial by local jury - made up of men from the village who knew both accuser and accused
• Trial by ordeal - letting God decide
What were the different types of trial by ordeal?
• Trial by hot iron
• Trial by blessed bread
• Trial by hot water
• Trial by cold water
What were the key features of trial by hot iron?
• Accused picked up hot iron
• Hand bandaged up and unwrapped 3 days later
• If innocent wound heals cleanly
• If guilty wound blistered
What is trial and by blessed bread?
• Taken by priests
• Priest prated that accused would choke on bread if they lied
• Accused guilty if choked
What is trial by cold water?
• Usually taken by men
• Accused tied above with a knot and lowered into water
• If they sank they were innocent
• If they floated God had rejected them and found guilty
What was trial by hot water?
• Usually taken by men
• Accused put hand in boiling water
• Hand bandaged and unwrapped three days later
• Accused innocent if wound healed clearly
• Accused guilty if blistering
What were common punishments under Anglo-Saxons?
- Wergild
- Capital punishments
- Corporal punishment
How was punishment and law enforcement changed with the Normans?
- Replaced Wergild with murdum
- Majority of Anglo-saxons laws kept the same
- Tithings and hue and cry remained
- Forest laws introduced (made cutting down trees and hunting illegal)
- trial by combat introduced
- capital punishment remained
- introduced church courts - more lenient
How did the church hinder justice?
- Church courts (more lenient)
- Benefit of the clergy
- Sanctuary
- Trial by blessed bread
What were common crimes in the anglo saxon period?
Authority:
- Fighting noblemen
- Treason
Property:
- Taking or damaging property e.g arson
Person (more common as more people living in towns):
- Murder
- Fights
Social:
- poaching
How did definitions of crime change as a result of the Norman conquest?
- Heresy became a crime
- Workers asking for higher wages became a crime
- ## Poaching became illegal on land that doesn’t belong to you
How did crime change after the Norman conquest?
- Crimes against the person and property increased as number of larger towns increased
- leaving home became a crime
- new laws e.g statute of laborers and forest laws meant new/increased crimes
-Changes caused by change of society to feudal system - impacted power of church
How did law enforcement continue after the norman conquest?
- Church still played large/key role
- Local community vital in catching criminals
- Tithings continued to be vital
How did law enforcement change after the norman conquest?
- King more important in law enforcement due to introduction of fuedal system
- Enforcement and punishment far more centralised
What were the main purposes of punishment in medieval england?
Deterrence and retribution
