His

• In Anglo-Saxon England, the King, nobles, and the Church decided what a crime was and made the laws
• Groups in Anglo-Saxon England


  • King
  • Nobles
  • Freemen
  • Serfs
• The nobles influenced the laws and benefited from them, for example by punishing trespassers on their land harshly
• Treason, which challenges the authority of the King or government, was considered a high level crime
• The King had the duty to keep the King's Peace and the right to change existing laws
• In most village communities, people knew each other well, making criminal acts easier to identify
• Local counties were expected to take Collective Responsibility, which meant being responsible for the actions of others and making sure trends and family were not tempted to break the law
• Each village had a local official called a Reeve who carried out decisions made by local courts to ensure any law was broken
• The local church also played a vital role in the community