Law and Order

• How did the King deal with Laws before?

  • Each Kingdom had different Laws
  • The King only wrote Laws for their Kingdom
  • Laws were rarely written down, and if they were - it was in English
• How did William deal with Laws?

  • King made all the Laws and Barons (Norman Nobles) had to enforce them
  • All Laws were recorded and written in Latin
• How was land dealt before?


  Land was divided amongst family when the landholder died
• How did William deal with Land?

  • Primogeniture - Land was solely given to the eldest son of the previous landowner
  • Forest Laws - New Laws in place to stop people hunting and foraging certain woods. The excuse was the land under the Forest Law belonged to the King
  • Earldoms stayed intact and didn't divide
• What were Shire Courts like before?


  Met twice a year, when the sheriff would hear cases on Land Disputes, Crime and Tax Evasions
• What were Shire Courts like with William?

  • Declined in use when castles starting being built for administrative purposes
  • Honorial Courts were introduced, where Tenants could directly appeal their cases
• What were Hundred Courts like before?

  • For more local problems in smaller areas
• What were Hundred Courts like with William?


  Met more frequently and were run by Deputy Sheriffs
• What was the Ordeal of Fire?

  Put arm in boiling cauldron:

  • If innocent - Your arm would heal from the burn wounds
  • If guilty - Your arm would become infected and would result in punishment
• What was the Ordeal of Water?

  Suspect strapped to a chair and thrown into the water:

  • If innocent - You'd sink and drown
  • If guilty - You'd float and be executed (Believed you were a witch)
• What was the Ordeal of Cake?

  Forced to eat a stale/salty piece of bread:

  • If innocent - You would eat it with no reaction
  • If guilty - You would choke and be sentenced to punishment
• What Ordeal was introduced in William's reign?


  Trial by Combat - The accused would fight the accuser, who ever won would be deemed right (Rich would be able to sub in a warrior to avoid fighting, putting peasants in an unfair place)

  Trial by Jury - Juries were introduced and could vote on one's innocence