crime and punishment

• What are the dates for the different time periods?

  Medieval - 1000-1500

  Early Modern - 1500-1700

  18th and 19th century - 1700-1900

  Modern Britain - 1900-now
• How did Medieval Britain view kings?

  chosen by God

  most important person

  controlled land
• How did Medieval England view nobles?


  king's main supporters

  have land

  in return for land provide king with knights

  expected to keep law and order in their land
• How was the church viewed in Medieval England?

  -believe in heaven and hell

  -Church offered help to get your soul to heaven

  -Priest in every village

  -Church courts for churchmen

  -Sanctuary to criminals
• Anglo-Saxon: tithings


  'Police force' - every man over age of 12 had to join one, made up of ten men who were responsible for each other
• Anglo-Saxon: hue and cry


  If crime was committed you were expected to raise H&C

  Entire village had to hunt criminal - if not whole village had to pay heavy fine
• Anglo Saxon : trial by local jury


  Relied on local communities

  Made up of local men who knew accused/accuser and the jury decided who was guilty
• Anglo-Saxon : trial by ordeal, what is it?

  Religious society - took place inside church with priest present (god's representative)

  Used if local jury couldn't decide if guilty or not
• What were some different trial by ordeals?


  Hot iron

  Cold water

  Hot water

  Blessed bread
• Anglo-Saxons : wergild


  Fine - compensation to victim or their family
• Anglo Saxon: capital and corporal punishment


  Death penalty- treason, betraying local lord, to deter others

  Corporal - regular offenders, cutting off body parts
• When was the Battle of Hastings?

  1066 - William duke of Normandy won
• What changes did William make to the legal system?

  Murdrum fines

  Harsher on women

  Norman- French official language used in court

  Church courts

  Parish Constable

  Trial by combat

  Forest laws
• What did William keep the same?

  Hue and cry

  Tithings

  Wergild ( although now paid to king's officials )

  Trial by ordeal

  Capital and corporal punishment
• What is a murdrum fine?


  If a Saxon person murdered a Norman the whole town had to pay a fine
• When was trial by ordeal abolished?

  1215
• What changed in early modern England in crime and punishment?

  Justices of peace - minor crimes and quarter sessions

  Law of treason strengthened

  Witches were blamed more

  Stocks - not afford funds

  Pillory - selling underweight or rotten goods

  Vagabonds

  Jails used for keeping criminal until trial
• What were the three main crimes people were concerned with during early modern England?

  Heresy, vagabondage and witchcraft
• What encouraged the fear of vagrancy ? (EMB)

  Media - increased awareness

  Science and technology because things could be printed like books
• What are the different dates to do with punishing vagabonds (EMB) ?

  1531 - whipped

  1547 - 1st offence 2years slavery 2nd offence life slavery

  1550 - 1547 act repealed and 1531 act instead

  1572 - 1st whip or burn through ear 2nd execution

  1576 - houses of correction
• Why did people become vagabonds?

  Rising population = less jobs = more unemployment

  1500s people could travel more
• When did witchcraft become a more serious offence and why?

  1542 - religious changes under Henry VIII became criminal offence

  Elizabeth made tough Law

  1590 - James I made tougher laws and wrote book of witchcraft
• Why were there more cases of witchcraft during religious unrest?

  Old practices and beliefs changing.

  Protestants preached the devil was tempting christians away from god
• What policing stayed the same (EMB) ?

  Hue and cry

  Parish constables - still main defence

  Justices of peace - during tudors became a bigger part of local law

  Citizens still looked out for each other
• How did policing change during EMB?

  Town watchmen and sergeants - larger towns, patrol streets, poorly paid
• How did trials change in EMB?

  Royal judges - serious crimes

  1600s people weren't allowed to claim benefit of clergy for serious offences

  Habeus corpus - 1679, stop police locking ppl up without proving crime, criminal had to be seen in court within certain time or released
• What was the bloody code?


  Legal document that stated which laws carried the death penalty
• How many crimes were punishable by death in 1815?

  225
• What was transportation and when did it start being used?

  Instead of DP people were sent away to Australia to be slaves.

  Started in the 1660's
• How did Henry VIII change religion in England?

  Made himself the head of the Church of England
• How did Edward VI change religion in England?

  More protestant
• How did Mary I change religion in England?

  More Catholic

  killed 300 protestants
• How did Elizabeth change religion in England?


  More protestant

  killed 250 Catholics
• What forms of policing were there in 1500-1700?


  Citizens

  Watchmen and sergeants

  Hue and Cry

  Parish Constable

  Justice of the people (JP's)

  Rewards for criminals
• What trials were used in the Early Modern period?

  Benefit of the Clergy - church courts

  Courts - manor court = minor crimes, Royal judges = serious,

  Haebeas Corpus - stopped people being locked up for no reason 1679
• Why was the bloody code introduced? (factors)

  Poverty and wealth-rich wanted protection

  Government-MP's passed the laws

  Attitudes in society-thought crime was out of control

  Urbanisation-more people so harder to control

  Travel-streets were more crowded so easier

  Technology-pamphlets
• How did crime change in the industrial period?

  -Last execution of Heresy in 1612

  -Fear of vagabonds decreased

  -1736 witchcraft laws repealed
• What kind of crime were people more concerned about in Industrial times?

  Crime that disrupted trading:

  highway robbery, smuggling poaching, trade unions
• What was the Black Act of 1723?

  Hunting deer, hare or rabbits was punishable by death
• Why did people poach?

  Big profits

  More demand for meat