Crime and punishment

• Time period of Saxon England

  400 - 1066
• Time period of Normans and Later Middle Ages

  1066 - 1500
• Time period of Early Modern England

  1500 -1700
• Time period of Industrial period

  1700 - 1900
• Time period of 20th century

  1900 -2000
• Time periods for crime and punishment

  1. Saxon England
  2. Normans and Later Middle Ages
  3. Early Modern England
  4. Industrial period
  5. 20th century
• What themes are studied in crime and punishments

  1. Changes in attitude towards law and crimes
  2. Punishments through time
  3. Policing through time
• Who would be in charge of deciding who is innocent or guilty in the period 400-1066?

  Head of Households
• How were people trialed in the period 400-1066?

  Trial by ordeal which turned to God to provide judgement.

  e.g Trial by Hot Iron where suspect was to hold a hot iron and wait a week before checked, if hand healed then you’re innocent but if not you’re guilty.
• What were the courts in 400-1066?

  Manor courts

  Church courts for moral crimes

  Kings court for most serious crime
• What was the blood feud ?

  Where victim or victims family can take revenge on attacker
• How did the Church influence the blood feud to end?

  Belief that violence was wrong and that men should forgive others
• What was the blood feud replaced by? What is it?

  Wergild which meant that criminals had to pay victim compensation based on the type of crime and status in society
• Punishments to those who are repeated offenders in 400 -1066?

  Mutilation or executed
• What is the Hue and cry?

  Witnesses or whole village expected to chase suspect or they will be fined
• What was tithings?

  All males over age 12 in a group of 10 are responsible for each others behaviour
• What was the Forest laws in the period 1066-1500?

  People are forbidden to hunt on kings land without permission.

  Seen as a social crime
• What was added to the Trial by Ordeal by William in 1066-1500?

  Trial by combat
• When was the trial by ordeal banned?

  In 1215 by the church
• Why did people want to go to the church courts?

  Church courts was only for members of the clergy and gave more lenient sentence- criminals need to read the ‘neck verse’ to claim the ‘benefit of the clergy’ .
• What was the justice of the peace act ?

  Magistrates appointed to serve justice in behalf of the king
• What was the Kings Mund in 1066-1500?

  Any crime committed is seen as breaking the kings peace this include paying the wergild where instead of compensating the victims it is given to the king
• What was corporal punishment in 1066-1500?

  William used harsh punishments to deter crime and keep Saxons under control. e.g chopping of fingers and for repeated offenders they can be blinded
• What was the capital punishment in 1066-1500?

  William killed thousands of people, burned villages and crops to deter people from doing the same
• What was ‘hung , drawn and quartered’ in 1066-1500?

  Punishment for treason
• What changed in policing in the period 1066-1500?

  There is still hue and cry and tithings.

  New introductions :

  Sheriff and Posse - take over hung for criminals when heu and cry failed

  Coroners - identify cause of death

  Justice of the Peace - Richard appoints knights and barons to rule lawless/ rebellious areas

  Parish Constable