Norman Legal System

• The Norman legal system was somewhat different from the Anglo-Saxon one but carried over many ideas from the strong Anglo-Saxon legal code
• Anglo-Saxon England was well governed by the standards of the 11th century
• William wanted continuity in the legal system to avoid causing more problems than it solved
• William aimed to maintain and extend his power in certain ways
• Main changes to the legal system under the Normans

  1. The power of the king increased under William

  2. The church also increased in power as an important part of the legal system
• It is difficult to maintain a legal system if people don't expect and accept the justice it provides
• Change after 1066


  William introduced new ideas or modified some old ones
• Continuity from before 1066


  William brought in new ideas that were not his own and carried things over from the Anglo-Saxon period
• Examples of continuity

  • William kept the majority of Saxon laws
  • Normans kept the systems of tithings and the hue and cry
• Examples of change

  • William introduced the death penalty for serious crimes and for re-offenders
  • Executions were carried out in public to show the power of the king
  • William made a new law called the murdrum fine as a deterrent against Anglo-Saxons murdering Normans
• Executions were rare before 1066 when fines had been paid by the offender to the victim
• Norman legal practices

  • Trial by ordeal
  • Trial by combat
• In trial by combat, the accused fought the accuser until one was killed or unable to fight, and the loser was then hanged assuming they were still alive as God had judged them to be guilty
• Trial by ordeal

  God would give their judgment by deciding whether or not to heal someone's wounds
• Trial by battle or trial by combat

  God would show their approval by either helping one side to fight and win or making sure the other person got lost
• Changes introduced by William

  • Forest laws prohibiting cutting down trees for fuel or building, forbidding people in forests to own dogs or bows and arrows, punishing deer hunters by chopping off their first two fingers or blinding them
• Norman French became the official language used in court procedures and all court records were kept in Latin
• William used fines for lesser crimes and ordered fines to be paid to the king's officials instead of the victim or their family
• Introduction of church courts by the Normans

  Separate courts used for churchmen, tending to be more lenient as they judged members of their own
• William recognized the strengths of the Anglo-Saxon legal code and kept many of its laws and customs in place
• William introduced fines like the murdrum and increased the number of executions to keep the population under control
• William increased the power of the king by

  Introducing forest laws and fines paid directly to the crown rather than to the victim
• William increased the influence of the church by

  Introducing separate church courts to judge the clergy, which were often more lenient