key people and courts involved in law and order in the medieval period Flashcards
how was the king involved in law and order
he was overall in charge
who was the sheriff
he was the kings chief law enforcer in each county. had an armed posse to help him. and often he took a share of property of convicted
who was the chief constable of the hundred
he supervised law and order in their area. he made sure every free man aged 15 to 60 was ready to take up arms to support the king
who was the parish constable
he ensured his parish could supply armed men when they needed. he also had the power to arrest suspicious strangers
what was the people and the hue and cry
these were adult men who were grouped into ‘tithings’, if one broke the law the others had to bring him to court. victims of crime called the ‘hue and cry’ and all those within earshot had to stop what they were doing and help
what was the royal court
this court heard the most serious criminal cases and they were overseen by a judge and jurors who were drawn from the criminals own area
who were the JP’s
they existed From 1361 and they were appointed by the king. there were 2 or 3 in each county
when were JP’s introduced
1361
what were the manor courts
from 1250 they took over the work of the hundred court and they dealt with petty crimes, thefts, land disputes, fights and debts. they were run by the lord or his steward and wealthy villagers made up the jury. each manor court had their own local laws
what were the church courts
they dealt with crimes that were considered un-Christian e.g. immoral priests, homosexuality, swearing, gambling and failure to attend church. they were run by priests who heard the evidence and passed judgement
what were the medieval juries
they were selected from the same parish or hundred. they used prior knowledge of the accused to reach their verdict. the judge usually followed the juries verdict. and trials usually lasted about 20 minutes
what were the verdicts that could be reached in the medieval courts
guilty, or not guilty. however many juries were lenient and often let the accused go free, especially if they were a woman
what were the assizes
they organised a county by dividing it into 6 circuits. each circuit was visited by 2 judges twice a year. they dealt with capital offences e.g murder which carried the death penalty
what were the quarter sessions
these were administered by the JP’s who visited each county four times a year. they oversaw less serious crimes e.g. petty theft. and they had extra powers e.g. licensing ale houses, regulating local sports and arresting vagrants
