Crime and Punishment in Medieval England. 1000-1500
- Created by: Shannon Downing
- Created on: 25-03-20 11:15
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- Crime and Punishment. 1000-1500
- Types of crimes
- Crimes against property
- When a crime is committed against someone’s property
- Pick pocketing, theft, poaching, burglary
- Most common at times of poor harvest
- Pick pocketing, theft, poaching, burglary
- When a crime is committed against someone’s property
- Crimes against the person
- A crime that affects the person
- Assault, **** or murder
- A crime that affects the person
- Crimes against authority
- When a crime is committed against the king, government or religion
- Untitled
- When a crime is committed against the king, government or religion
- Crimes against property
- Law enforcement in Anglo-Saxon England
- Blood feuds
- for major crimes families were allowed to take revenge by killing a member of another family
- Tithings
- all men over 12 were part of a tithing of ten men. The members of the tithing were responsible for each other’s behaviour
- Juries
- Juries of 12 men were used in trials
- Trial by Ordeal was used if a jury could not decide
- The accused was tested by hot iron, cold water or hot water and it was believed that God would show if they were guilty or not
- Trial by Ordeal was used if a jury could not decide
- Juries of 12 men were used in trials
- Hue and cry
- anyone who witnessed a crime was expected to raise the ‘Hue and Cry’. The whole village would then search for the criminal
- Blood feuds
- Punishment in Anglo-Saxon England
- Execution
- Criminals could be hung for arson and treason
- Mutilation
- eye gouging or removing a hand/foot were used as an alternative to the death penalty
- Stocks and Pillory
- this was a public punishment which involved the criminal being fixed into the stocks or pillory and having things thrown at them
- Wergild
- murder and assault were punishable by fines called ‘Wergild’ which were paid to the victim
- Execution
- Crimes and Punishment in Norman England
- Wergild was ended
- All crimes were now to be paid to the king, not the victim
- Murdrum fine was introduced which said that if a Norman was killed, everyone in the area had to pay a fine.
- The use of mutilation,execution as well as the stocks and pillories were continued by the Normans
- Forest Laws
- the new Norman King, William, loved hunting and he took 30% of England’s land for ‘Royal Forests’. Hunting and cutting down trees in the ‘Royal Forests’ was illegal for anyone except the nobility
- Wergild was ended
- Law Enforcement in the later Middle Ages
- In the later Middle Ages the King became more involved in Law enforcement
- Coroners were introduced by Richard I in 1194 to investigate suspicious deaths
- Parish constables were introduced by Henry III in1250 to lead the ‘Hue and Cry’
- Sheriffs were appointed by the King for each local area. They were to chase outlaws who had run away and act as judges
- Justices of the Peace were introduced by Edward III in 1361. They met 4 times a year in each local area to act as judges in the most serious cases
- In the later Middle Ages the King became more involved in Law enforcement
- Power of the church in medieval England
- However its power declined during the period
- In 1215 Trial by Ordeal was ended by the Pope. This was because it was seen as being unfair and was causing people to question the Church
- From 1166 Church Courts could only be used for members of the clergy
- The Church played an important role in crime and punishment between 1000 and 1500.
- Trial by Ordeal was an important way of decided if someone was guilty. Churches also had their own courts
- The Church taught people that crimes were a sin and would cause them to go to Hell
- Outlaws could claim sanctuary in a church
- However its power declined during the period
- Crimes and Punishments in the later middle Ages
- from 1300 some people began to question the authority of the Church. King Richard II was worried that if people challenged the Church they might also challenge the King. In 1382 he made it a crime to challenge the Church. The punishment was to be burned at the stake
- Statute of Labourers (1351) – following the Black Death the King passed a law which made it illegal to ask for Higher Wages
- Mutilation, execution as well as the stocks and pillories continued to be used as punishments
- From 1216 treason could be punished by being Hanged, drawn and quartered
- Law Enforcement under the Normans
- Under the Normans the King played a larger role in enforcing the law. William introduced Forestersto patrol the ‘Royal Forests’ and used Norman soldiers to deal with any rebellions
- Trial by Combat was added as a new form of Trial by Ordeal
- The ‘Hue and Cry’, tithings, juries and Trial by Ordeal were continued by the Normans
- Blood Feuds were ended by the Normans as these led to a cycle of killings
- Types of crimes
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