Anglo-Saxon Crime and Punishment

?

Corporal Punishment - Physical punishment

Capital Punishment - Death penalty

Anglo-Saxon Crime and Punishment

Laws made by...

King (at top), Nobles, Bishops, Monks

Person

  • Telling lies about someone / making false accusations gets your tongue cut out
  • Committing adultery gets you branded with an 'A' on your forehead

Property

  • If you steal a nun, you must pay a hundred and twenty shillings
  • If you steal something, you get your hands cut off

Authority

  • Plotting against the King (or sheltering someone who's plotted against the King) gets you put to death and you lose all your possessions

Law enforcement

Anglo-Saxons believed...

  • Local communities should police each other's behaviours
  • God was the final judge of guilt or innocence
  • Status and position of different groups should be made clear in law
  • It was a victim's (and whole community's) responsibility to seek justice if a crime was committed
  • People had a duty to be loyal to their community

By the 10th century, Shires were divided into smaller areas called Hundreds

Comments

No comments have yet been made