crime & punishment

• medieval england/Middle Ages - c1000 to c1500
• crimes against a person (1000-1500)

  • murder
  • assault
• crimes against property (1000-1500)

  • theft
  • robbery
  • poaching
  • smuggling
• crimes against authority (1000-1500)

  • heresy
  • treason
  • betraying your lord
• Williams forest laws

  • The cutting down of trees was forbidden. People in the forest were not allowed to own dogs or a bow and arrow.
  • Punished by having their first two fingers cut off so that they could no longer use a bow and arrow.
  • Repeat offenders were blinded
• law enforcement (medieval eng 1000-1500)

  • tithings a group of 10 men was responsible for the behaviour of the other men in the group
  • All men over the age of 12 had to join
• law enforcement (medieval eng 1000-1500)

  • hue & cry if a crime was committed the victim or witness was supposed to raise the hue or cry
  • The whole village had to join in & try to catch the criminal
• law enforcement (medieval eng 1000-1500)

  • trail by jury a group of men from a village who knew the accuser & accused
  • They would hear both sides of the event
  • If there was no clear evidence, they would decide based on the knowledge of the person
  • If they thought that the accuser was more honest than the accused, they would swear an oath of compurgation
• If a local jury could not decide guilt or innocence then the Saxons turned to trial by ordeal in the hope that God would help them out
• law enforcement (medieval eng 1000-1500)

  • trail by hot iron the accused picked up hot iron & Walked three paces with it
  • The hand was bandaged & unwrapped three days later
  • If Innocent, the wound was healing cleanly
  • Is guilty the wound was festering
• law enforcement (medieval eng 1000-1500)

  • trail by hot water the accused put his hand into boiling water to pick up an object
  • Their hand arm was bandaged & unwrapped three days later
  • If innocent the wound was healing cleanly
  • If guilty, the wound was festering
• law enforcement(medieval eng 1000-1500)

  • trail by cold water the accused was tied wit a knot above the waist & lowered into the water
  • If the accused sank below God’s pure water, then there was judged innocent
  • If the accused floated then he had been rejected by pure water & found guilty
• law enforcement(medieval eng 1000-1500)

  • trail by blessed bread taken by priest
  • A priest prayed that the accused would choke on the bread if they lied
  • The accused ate the bread & was found guilty if he choked
• punishment (1000-1500)

  • wergild a system of fines compensated to the victims or their families
  • wergild for killing a noble was 300 shillings , freeman was 100 shillings
  • also different body parts were different prices
• punishment (1000-1500)

  • capital punishment was the death penalty in which people were hanged
  • the harsh punishment was intended to deter others
• punishment (1000-1500)

  • corporal punishment this could be cutting of hand , ear nose or removal of eyes
  • this was intended to deter them from further offences
• influence of the church on crime & pun.

  
  

  church courts - all churchmen who were accused of a crime were tried in a church court which was overseen by a local bishop
• influence of the church on crime & pun

  
  

  benefit of the clergy - was when the accused person claimed the right to be tried in the more lenient church courts, to claim “benefit of the clergy” an individual had to read a verse from psalm 51 in the bible
• influence of the church on crime & pun

  
  

  sanctuary - a criminal who was trying to escape capture could go to the church to claim sanctuary, in which the criminal reach sanctuary they were under the protection of the church, even the county sheriff could not remove them by force, the criminal then had 40 days to decide either to face trial or leave the country
• influence of the church on crime & pun

  
  

  trail by ordeal - although it ended by pope innocent in 1215, it had been used for long to judge a persons guilt or innocence in the eyes of God. But it was possible some guilty men & women escaped punishment while some innocent people where found guilty
• crimes against person (1500-1700)

  • murder
  • assault
• crimes against property (1500-1700)

  • theft
  • poaching
• crimes against authority (1500-1700)

  • heresy
  • treason
• In the 1600s vagabondage became a crime as there was growing poverty & people moved around the country looking for work
• vagabonds commit different crimes such as thefts, assaults & even murder vagabonds carry out these crimes as a way to get their hands on money without working
• the government used a variety of different methods to try & deal with vagabonds such as whipping, slavery, bonding, execution & houses of correction
• witchcraft - several laws against witchcraft were passed in this period
• law enforcement (early modern 1500-1700)

  • hue & cry continued in witch if a crime was committed the victim or witness was supposed to raise the hue or cry, & the whole village had to join in & try to catch the criminal
• law enforcement (early modern 1500-1700)

  • night watchmen checked in on villages at night & patrolled the streets. they were also expected to arrest vagabonds & drunks
  • all watchmen were volunteers & unpaid
• law enforcement (early modern 1500-1700)

  • village constable volunteer role for a year at a time, did this in spare time to help keep law & order
• law enforcement (early modern 1500-1700)

  • justice of the peace appointed from gentry to keep law & order
• law enforcement (early modern 1500-1700

  • trail by jury continued a group of men from the village who knew the accuser & accused
  • they would hear both sides of the event
  • if there was no clear evidence they would has their decision of the knowledge of people
• law enforcement (early modern 1500-1700)

  • royal courts dealt with most serious crimes such as murder
• punishment (1500-1700)

  • fines continued
• punishment (1500-1700)

  • capital punishment continued through hanging it was used for treason, burning used for heresy
  • witches & vagabonds were also hanged
• punishment (1500-1700)

  • corporal punishment continued through whipping in public continued to be used to humiliate & deter criminals
• punishment (1500–1700)

  • houses of correction were being built (early type of prison) to punish vagrants & repeating offenders wit hard labour & whipping
  • it was believed hard work would persuade offenders to change their behaviour
• punishment (1500-1700)

  • transportation to America convicts were sent to America to work instead of being executed
  • form of retribution & effective deterrent as prisons didn’t exist
• The gunpowder plotters 1605

  • james I became king In whom was catholic
  • but many powerful members of James I council were anti-catholic & believed their was more than one religion caused disunity
  • therefore James I declared his “utter detestation“ for the catholics
  • therefore laws against catholics were more tightened & more harshly enforced than before
• how the gunpowder plot failed

  • guy fawkes one of the 13 plotters was given the job of filling the vault
  • an anonymous letter warning about the danger was shown to Robert ceil (the kings chief minister)
  • guy fawkes was found & arrested