Saxon Towns And Villages Flashcards
What was the country divided into
Earldoms controlled by an earl
What was each earldom divided into
Shires controlled by shire reeves
What was each shire divided into
Hundreds (equal to 100 hides in some areas)
What was each hundred divided into
Tithings (ten households)
Who was the shire reeve
The kings representative in local government
What was the role of the shire reeve
The king issued writs (orders) to the shire reeve.
The reeve had to collect the geld tax (land tax)
Judge at the shire court
Provide men for the fyrd
What was a Hide
A hide of land was a measurement of land equal to around 120 acres
What obligations did each hide carry
Having five hides of land meant you could become a thegn and you must provide one man for the fyrd
What was collective security
If one member of a tithing broke the law the rest were responsible for bringing him to court or would be punished themselves
What was hue and cry
When people In the community would call on all the others to help them track down a criminal
What was the fyrd
An army made up of one man from every five hides
What was the select fyrd made up of
Well equipped thegns and their followers
How long was service in the fyrd for
A fixed 40 day period because they couldn’t leave their farm for too long
What would happen if someone refused to join the fyrd
There would be a consequence for the whole tithing
What were blood fueds
Grudges between families which often lasted generations
What happens if someone from your family was killed
You had the right to kill someone from the murderers family
What is the wergild system
Instead of taking revenge the victims family received compensation from the murderers family
How much was each person worth when killed
Ceorl- worth 20 shillings
Thegn - 1200 shillings
Earl or archbishop - 3600 shillings