Crime and Punishment in Medieval England c1000-c1500
When was Anglo-Saxon England period?
• Before 1066
When was Norman England period?
• 1066-1100
When was the Middle Ages/Medieval England?
• 1100-1500
When did the Romans withdraw from England?
• c.400
What was Anglo-Saxon society like by c1000?
• Anglo-Saxon society was based on close-knit farming communities who shared
responsibilities for maintaining law and order in the village
What were blood feuds?
• If someone was murdered, the family of the victim had the right to track down and
kill the murderer.
When was the blood feud system in place?
• In early Anglo-Saxon England, where the Angles and Saxons brought their own laws
and customs as they established local kingdoms across England.
What was the effect of the blood feud?
• It was all about retribution and often lead to more violence. Furthermore, it offered no
justice for those unwilling or unable to use violence themselves
When was the blood feud system replaced?
• By c.1000, the blood feud had been long replaced by more effective ways of
upholding the law, and England had been united into a single Anglo-Saxon kingdom.
What are the 3 types of crime?
• crimes against the person
• crimes against property
• crimes against the state
What were the main crimes in Anglo-Saxon England?
, • Crimes against property, usually in the form of petty theft
Did Anglo-Saxon England have a police force?
• No. People lived in small villages and knew their neighbours well, so law
enforcement was based around the local community
When were tithings set up?
• In the tenth century, Anglo-Saxon England.
What were tithings?
• A group of 10 men, over the age of 12, who were responsible for each other’s
behaviour. If one of them broke the law, the other members of the tithing has to bring
him to court, or pay a fine.
Who were in tithings?
• Every male over the age of 12 was expected to join a tithing.
What was the ‘hue and cry’?
• An extreme form of calling out for help in Anglo-Saxon England.
The entire village was expected to put down their tools and join the hunt to catch the
criminal.
When was the ‘hue and cry’ raised?
• If a crime was committed, the victim or witness was expected to raise the ‘hue and
cry’
Who took part in the ‘hue and cry’?
• The entire village had to and if somebody didn’t join, then the whole village would
have to pay a heavy fine.
What were the 2 types of trial used by the Anglo-Saxons?
• trial by jury (relied on local community)
• trial by ordeal
How did trial by jury work in Anglo-Saxon England?
• the accuser and the accused would give their version of events and it was up to the
jury to decide who was telling the truth
• if there was no clear evidence, such as an eyewitness to the crime, the jury decided
guilt or innocence based on their knowledge of the people involved
,Who did the jury consist of in trial by jury in Anglo-Saxon England?
• The jury was made up of men from the village who knew both the accuser and the
accused
What was compurgation in the Anglo-Saxon era?
• If the jury felt that the accuser was more honest than the accused then they swore an
oath called Compurgation to say that the accused was guilty.
What were trials by ordeal?
• As the Saxons were a very religious society, if a local jury could not decide guilt or
innocence then the Saxons would turn to trial by ordeal in the hopes that God would
help them.
What were the general rules for trial by ordeal?
• all ordeals (except cold water) took place inside a church
• the accused had to fast for 3 days and then hear mass as preparation
• a priest was always present, as it was believed God would judge guilt or innocence
What were the 4 types of trial by ordeal?
1. trial by blessed bread
2. trial by cold water
3. trial by hot iron
4. trial by hot water
How did trial by blessed bread work?
• taken by priests
• a priest prayed the accused would choke on bread if they lied
• the accused ate bread and was found guilty if they choked
How did trial by cold water work?
• usually taken by men
• the accused was tied with a knot above the waist and lowered into the water on the
end of a rope
• if the accused sank below God’s “pure water”, then he was judged innocent
• if the accused floated, then he has been “rejected” by the “pure water”, and was found
guilty
How did trial by hot water work?
• usually taken by men
• the accused put his hand into boiling water to pick up an object
• his hand was bandaged and unwrapped 3 days later
, • the accused was innocent if the wound was healing cleanly, but guilty if it was
festering
How did trial by hot iron work?
• usually taken by women
• the accused picked up a red-hot weight and walked three paces with it
• the hand was bandaged and unwrapped 3 days later
• the accused was innocent if the wound was healing cleanly, but guilty if it was
festering
What was wergild?
• The Saxon’s system of fines; it was compensation paid to the victims of crime or their
families.
Who decided the level of fine issued within wergild?
• It was carefully worked out and set through the king’s laws.
What were the consequences of wergild?
• It was not about retribution, unlike blood feud, and so made further violence less
likely
What were the negatives of Wergild?
• It was an unequal system;
• the fine for killing a noble was 300 shillings
• the fine for killing a freeman was 100 shillings
• the fine for killing a peasant was even lower
• the fine for killing a welshmen was even lower still!
What was the wergild for killing a noble?
• 300 shillings
What was the wergild for killing a freeman?
• 100 shillings
What was the wergild of killing a slave?
• 2 shillings to the owner
What was the wergild of the loss of an eye?
• 50 shillings
What was the wergild of a broken arm?
When was Anglo-Saxon England period?
• Before 1066
When was Norman England period?
• 1066-1100
When was the Middle Ages/Medieval England?
• 1100-1500
When did the Romans withdraw from England?
• c.400
What was Anglo-Saxon society like by c1000?
• Anglo-Saxon society was based on close-knit farming communities who shared
responsibilities for maintaining law and order in the village
What were blood feuds?
• If someone was murdered, the family of the victim had the right to track down and
kill the murderer.
When was the blood feud system in place?
• In early Anglo-Saxon England, where the Angles and Saxons brought their own laws
and customs as they established local kingdoms across England.
What was the effect of the blood feud?
• It was all about retribution and often lead to more violence. Furthermore, it offered no
justice for those unwilling or unable to use violence themselves
When was the blood feud system replaced?
• By c.1000, the blood feud had been long replaced by more effective ways of
upholding the law, and England had been united into a single Anglo-Saxon kingdom.
What are the 3 types of crime?
• crimes against the person
• crimes against property
• crimes against the state
What were the main crimes in Anglo-Saxon England?
, • Crimes against property, usually in the form of petty theft
Did Anglo-Saxon England have a police force?
• No. People lived in small villages and knew their neighbours well, so law
enforcement was based around the local community
When were tithings set up?
• In the tenth century, Anglo-Saxon England.
What were tithings?
• A group of 10 men, over the age of 12, who were responsible for each other’s
behaviour. If one of them broke the law, the other members of the tithing has to bring
him to court, or pay a fine.
Who were in tithings?
• Every male over the age of 12 was expected to join a tithing.
What was the ‘hue and cry’?
• An extreme form of calling out for help in Anglo-Saxon England.
The entire village was expected to put down their tools and join the hunt to catch the
criminal.
When was the ‘hue and cry’ raised?
• If a crime was committed, the victim or witness was expected to raise the ‘hue and
cry’
Who took part in the ‘hue and cry’?
• The entire village had to and if somebody didn’t join, then the whole village would
have to pay a heavy fine.
What were the 2 types of trial used by the Anglo-Saxons?
• trial by jury (relied on local community)
• trial by ordeal
How did trial by jury work in Anglo-Saxon England?
• the accuser and the accused would give their version of events and it was up to the
jury to decide who was telling the truth
• if there was no clear evidence, such as an eyewitness to the crime, the jury decided
guilt or innocence based on their knowledge of the people involved
,Who did the jury consist of in trial by jury in Anglo-Saxon England?
• The jury was made up of men from the village who knew both the accuser and the
accused
What was compurgation in the Anglo-Saxon era?
• If the jury felt that the accuser was more honest than the accused then they swore an
oath called Compurgation to say that the accused was guilty.
What were trials by ordeal?
• As the Saxons were a very religious society, if a local jury could not decide guilt or
innocence then the Saxons would turn to trial by ordeal in the hopes that God would
help them.
What were the general rules for trial by ordeal?
• all ordeals (except cold water) took place inside a church
• the accused had to fast for 3 days and then hear mass as preparation
• a priest was always present, as it was believed God would judge guilt or innocence
What were the 4 types of trial by ordeal?
1. trial by blessed bread
2. trial by cold water
3. trial by hot iron
4. trial by hot water
How did trial by blessed bread work?
• taken by priests
• a priest prayed the accused would choke on bread if they lied
• the accused ate bread and was found guilty if they choked
How did trial by cold water work?
• usually taken by men
• the accused was tied with a knot above the waist and lowered into the water on the
end of a rope
• if the accused sank below God’s “pure water”, then he was judged innocent
• if the accused floated, then he has been “rejected” by the “pure water”, and was found
guilty
How did trial by hot water work?
• usually taken by men
• the accused put his hand into boiling water to pick up an object
• his hand was bandaged and unwrapped 3 days later
, • the accused was innocent if the wound was healing cleanly, but guilty if it was
festering
How did trial by hot iron work?
• usually taken by women
• the accused picked up a red-hot weight and walked three paces with it
• the hand was bandaged and unwrapped 3 days later
• the accused was innocent if the wound was healing cleanly, but guilty if it was
festering
What was wergild?
• The Saxon’s system of fines; it was compensation paid to the victims of crime or their
families.
Who decided the level of fine issued within wergild?
• It was carefully worked out and set through the king’s laws.
What were the consequences of wergild?
• It was not about retribution, unlike blood feud, and so made further violence less
likely
What were the negatives of Wergild?
• It was an unequal system;
• the fine for killing a noble was 300 shillings
• the fine for killing a freeman was 100 shillings
• the fine for killing a peasant was even lower
• the fine for killing a welshmen was even lower still!
What was the wergild for killing a noble?
• 300 shillings
What was the wergild for killing a freeman?
• 100 shillings
What was the wergild of killing a slave?
• 2 shillings to the owner
What was the wergild of the loss of an eye?
• 50 shillings
What was the wergild of a broken arm?
