CRIME AND
PUNISHMENT
1000-2000
, CASE STUDIES,
MEDIEVAL ENGLAND:
THE INFLUENCE OF THE CHURCH,
Religion was important in England from c.1000 to c.1500. The Church and religious beliefs played an
important role in law and order. Clergy were often the most educated members of the
community. It was often the responsibility of the Church to decide whether an individual was guilty
of a crime. This had a significant impact on definitions of crime.
SIGNIFICANCE OF SANCTUARY,
A criminal who was trying to escape capture could go to a church to claim sanctuary. A
Sanctuary was only available in important churches. A bell was rung to alert the people in the
village that the criminal was in sanctuary.
Once inside the church, the criminal was under the Church’s protection and the sheriff was not
allowed to arrest them. The criminal had 40 days to either attend trial or leave the country. If they
chose to leave the country,There they would leave by ship.
Anyone who did not leave within 40 days was considered an outlaw. an outlaw is a person
declared as outside the protection of the law. all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal,
so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them.
BENEFIT OF THE CLERGY,
Although the right to be tried in a Church court was intended for priests, it was often extended to
anyone who was connected to the Church. To claim ‘benefit of the clergy’, an individual had to read
a verse from Psalm 51 in the Bible.
In medieval England it was only priests and churchmen who could read. However, non-churchmen
were able to get around this by learning a verse from the Bible, which they would recite. This became
known as the ‘neck verse’ because it often saved people’s neck from the hangman’s noose.
1000-1500
PUNISHMENT
1000-2000
, CASE STUDIES,
MEDIEVAL ENGLAND:
THE INFLUENCE OF THE CHURCH,
Religion was important in England from c.1000 to c.1500. The Church and religious beliefs played an
important role in law and order. Clergy were often the most educated members of the
community. It was often the responsibility of the Church to decide whether an individual was guilty
of a crime. This had a significant impact on definitions of crime.
SIGNIFICANCE OF SANCTUARY,
A criminal who was trying to escape capture could go to a church to claim sanctuary. A
Sanctuary was only available in important churches. A bell was rung to alert the people in the
village that the criminal was in sanctuary.
Once inside the church, the criminal was under the Church’s protection and the sheriff was not
allowed to arrest them. The criminal had 40 days to either attend trial or leave the country. If they
chose to leave the country,There they would leave by ship.
Anyone who did not leave within 40 days was considered an outlaw. an outlaw is a person
declared as outside the protection of the law. all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal,
so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them.
BENEFIT OF THE CLERGY,
Although the right to be tried in a Church court was intended for priests, it was often extended to
anyone who was connected to the Church. To claim ‘benefit of the clergy’, an individual had to read
a verse from Psalm 51 in the Bible.
In medieval England it was only priests and churchmen who could read. However, non-churchmen
were able to get around this by learning a verse from the Bible, which they would recite. This became
known as the ‘neck verse’ because it often saved people’s neck from the hangman’s noose.
1000-1500
