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Crime And Punishment > Medievel England - 1000-1500 > Flashcards

Medievel England - 1000-1500 Flashcards

1
Q

Types of crime in medieval England

A

Poaching/ murder/ assault/ arson/ petty theft/ treason/ rebellion/ rape

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2
Q

What was the most common crime in medieval England

A

Crimes against property - petty theft

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3
Q

What was the law enforcement like in Anglo - Saxon England

A

No police force/ relied on local communities

  • tithings/ hue and cry/ trial by local jury/ trial by ordeal
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4
Q

What were tithings

A

Groups of 10 males over the age of 12 who were responsible for each other’s behaviour. If one broke the law, they all had to take him to court or pay a fine

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5
Q

What was the Hue and Cry

A

If a crime was committed the witness was expected to raise an alarm and the entire village was expected to immediately hunt for the criminal
If one person didn’t join in, whole village would pay a fine

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6
Q

What was Trial by Local Jury

A

This relied on men from the village who knew both the accuser and the accused. It was up to them to decide who was truthful and if there was no clear evidence then they would decide on their own knowledge of the people

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7
Q

What did the jury have to do, if they felt the accuser was more honest then the accused

A

They had to swear an oath that the accused was guilty - this was called Compurgation

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8
Q

What was trial by ordeal

A 
If the jury couldn’t decide, they believed God would 
All ordeals (except water) took place inside a church, where a priest was present
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9
Q

What were the types of trial by ordeal

A

Trial by hot iron - usually taken by women. The accused picked up a red hot weight and walked three steps. Three days later if the bandaged hand was festering they were guilty and if it was healing they were innocent

Trial by hot water - taken usually by men. Put his hand into boiling water to pick up an object. Three days later if wound was festering = guilty, if healing cleanly = innocent

Trail by blessed bread - taken by priests. Another priest prayed that the accused would choke on the bread if guilty.

Trial by cold water - taken usually by men. Tied with a knot above the waist and lowered into the water at the end of a rope. If they sank below gods ‘pure water’ = innocent. If they floated = guilty

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10
Q

Types of punishments in Anglo Saxon England

A

Wergild - fines/ compensation paid to the victim or their families. Level of fines set by kings law. For killing a noble - 300 shillings. For a Freeman - 100 shillings. Different body parts given their own price. Eg. Loss of an eye - 50 shillings/ broken arm 6 - shillings

Execution - used for treason and betraying your lord - deterrent

Mutilation - reoffenders could lose an eye/hand/ear/nose etc

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11
Q

How much was the wergild for an eye/ arm

A

Eye - 50 shillings

Broken arm - 6 shillings

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12
Q

Prisons in Anglo - Saxon England

A
  • rarely used - too expensive

- only used for holding serious criminals before trials

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13
Q

What were the new crimes in Norman England

A

Rebellion/ breaking forest laws

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14
Q

What was seen as a social crime in the Norman times

A

Breaking the forest laws

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15
Q

What was the forest law and who introduced it

A
  • introduced by William I
  • trees could no longer be cut down for fuel/ building
  • prevented ordinary people from hunting in the ‘royal forests’
  • you could not graze animals
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16
Q

What was the consequences for breaking the forest laws

A

Mutilation
Anyone caught hunting deer had first two fingers chopped off
Repeat offenders were blinded

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17
Q

How much of England’s forests were ‘royal forests’

A

About 30%

  • this was used by William and nobility for hunting
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18
Q

What new law enforcement methods did the Normans introduce

A

Trial by combat
Church courts
Foresters

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19
Q

What was trial by combat

A

The accused fought with the accuser until one was killed or unable to fight. The loser was hanged, as god has judged him to be guilty

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20
Q

What were church courts

A

These were separate courts used for churchman and they tended to be more lenient

21
Q

What were Foresters

A

Police used to enforce the forest laws
Dealt with suspects harshly
Mutilation

22
Q

What punishment did the normans end from the Anglo - Saxons

A

They endend wergild - William ordered all fines to be paid directly to the kings officials

23
Q

What fine did the Normans introduce

A

Murdrum fine - if a Norman was murdered and the culprit was not caught, a large sum of money had to be paid from the villagers in the area the body was found

Murdering a Norman became more serious then murdering an Anglo Saxon - helped establish control

24
Q

Why were rebellions a problem with the Normans

A

The Norman invasion was not welcome by the Anglo Saxons and there was lots of resistance, eg. From York and East Anglia

25
Q

What was the law enforcement like in the later Middle Ages

A

Tithings/ hue and cry

Parish Constables 
Night watch 
Coroners 
Sheriff
Knights (Justice of the Peace)
26
Q

What were parish constables

A
  • Appointed annually by local communities to lead the chase (hue and cry) for the criminal
  • they were unpaid volunteers and well-respected by community
27
Q

What was the night watch

A

Some towns established a night watch, in which volunteers patrolled the streets at night.
Any criminals handed over to the constable

28
Q

What were coroners

A

Royal officials - all unnatural deaths had to be reported to the coroner for further investigation

29
Q

What were sheriffs

A

Each county had a sheriff, who was expected to track down criminals if hue and cry failed
- from 1285, they were allowed to form a posse of men to help chase down the criminal

30
Q

When were sheriffs allowed to form a posse of men to help chase down the criminal

A

1285

31
Q

What were knights

A
  • appointed by Richard I in unruly areas from 1195

- after the Justice of peace act (1361), they became JP’s

32
Q

What were JP’s

A

Justice of the peace.

  • were around 20 JPs per county
  • had the power to hear major crimes 4 times a year
  • appointed by the monarch and were usually local lords
33
Q

When was the justice of the peace act

A

1361

34
Q

When was trial by ordeal abolished

A

1215

35
Q

What was punishment like in the later Middle Ages

A

Fines/ public humiliations/ capital punishment

36
Q

Fines in the later Middle Ages

A

Become more common and used for most minor crimes

37
Q

What were public humiliations

A

Stocks and pillories - used certain types of crime. Eg. Selling underweight bread/ weak beer
Whipping - often used alongside stocks and pilories

38
Q

Why was public humiliations used

A

To deter

39
Q

What are a few examples stocks and pillories were used to punish

A

Selling underweight bread/ weak beer

40
Q

Capital punishment in the later Middle Ages

A
  • use of execution increased
  • hanging seen as a necessity

Varied on social status

  • commoners - hanged
  • nobles - beheaded
41
Q

How could you escape execution in the later Middle Ages

A
  • men could opt to fight in the army
  • pregnancy protected some women
  • benefit of the clergy/ sanctuary
42
Q

What was benefit of the clergy

A
  • an accused person claimed to be tried in the more lenient church courts
  • in theory, only intended for priests
  • in practise, anyone loosely associated with the church (doorkeepers/ gravediggers)
43
Q

What did the church do to stop ordinary men being tried in church courts

A
  • used a test requiring them to speak a verse from the bible (neck verse)
  • usually only priests were able to read, helped weed out non-churchmen
44
Q

Why did the church test not work

A
  • criminals memorised the verse by heart

- called the ‘neck verse’

45
Q

What was the verse from the bible called

A

Neck verse

46
Q

What were church courts (case study)

A

The church claimed the right to try any churchmen accused of a crime in its own court

  • never sentences anyone to death
  • much more lenient
47
Q

What did the church courts normally deal with

A
  • all crimes
  • also moral crimes
    Eg. Failure to attend church on Sunday/ playing football on Sunday/ swearing/ adultery/ drunk
48
Q

What was sanctuary

A
  • if someone on the run could reach a church, they could claim sanctuary
  • once claimed, they were under protection of the church for 40 days
  • criminals had 40 days to face trial or leave the country

Crime And Punishment (6 decks)

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