Crime and Punishment

• Anglo-Saxon crimes

  • petty theft
• Anglo-saxon crime factor

  • poverty
• petty theft (anglo-saxon)

  stealing of low-value items, most common crime, accounted for 75% of crimes
• anglo-saxon law enforcement

  • tithings
  • hue and cry
  • trial ordeal
  • taking oaths
• anglo-saxon law enforcement factors

  • religion
  • role of local communities
  • size of population
• tithings (anglo saxon)

  shires divided into smaller areas called hundreds, divided into 10 tithings, all men aged 12+ responsible for behaviour of others
• hue and cry (anglo-saxon)

  whole community responsible for catching criminals
• trial ordeal (anglo-saxon)

  way of testing if potential criminal was guilty or innocent in eyes of God (trial by fire, trial by water)
• taking oaths (anglo-saxon)

  someone accused of crime would swear on oath for innocence (call on God as witness)
• Anglo-saxon punishments

  • mutilation
  • wergild
  • stocks and pillories
  • hanging
• anglo -saxon punishment factors

  • deter
  • retribution
  • religion
• mutilation (anglo-saxon)

  the punished had body parts removed, church recommended over death as gave time for criminal to seek forgiveness from God
• wergild (anglo-saxon)

  murder punished by paying fine to victims family, amount depended on social status of victim, nobles acted as deterrent and retribution
• stocks and pillories (anglo-saxon)

  public punishment for pain and humiliation, retribution and deterrence
• hanging (anglo-saxon)

  most common form of execution, deterrence and retribution
• Norman england crimes

  • crimes against authority
  • poaching
  • leaving home
  • petty theft
• norman crime factors

  • poverty
  • political change (due to Norman Conquest)
• crimes against authority (norman)

  increased as anglo-saxons disliked their new ruler, many rebellions William dealt with harshly
• Poaching (norman)

  illegal to hunt in newly defined forest areas created by Williams Forest Laws, king had exclusive rights, crime against authority
• leaving home (norman)

  illegal for serf to leave his lords village, introduction of feudal system, crime against authority
• petty theft (norman)

  remained most common crime, many anglo-saxons become poor after Norman Conquest
• norman law enforcement

  • tithings
  • hue and cry
  • trial by ordeal/combat
  • taking oaths
  • castles
• tithings (norman)

  structure of shires, hundreds and tithings continued
• hue and cry (norman)

  continued
• trial by ordeal/combat (norman)

  trial by ordeal continued under norman’s, introduced trial by combat, people fought to deat, used to settle disputes over land/money, seen as dignified option for wealthy
• castles (norman)

  normans introduced castles to britain to intimidate and watch over anglo-saxons, built 100 castles in 20 years
• norman punishment

  • mutilation
  • murdrum
  • stocks and pillories
  • capital punishment
• norman law enforcement factors

  • religion
  • small size of poluation
  • local community
  • political change
• norman punishment factors

  • deter
  • retribution
  • desire for norman authority to control anglo-saxons (political change)
  • increase in crime
• mutilation (norman)

  crimes punishable by mutilation increased, included branding with hot iron, acted as deterrence and retribution
• murdrum (norman)

  norman’s ended wergild, fines now paid to king, if norman was murdered by anglo-saxon and murderer was not caught, entire anglo-saxon hundred had to pay fine
• stocks and pillories (norman)

  continued
• capital punishment (norman)

  use of capital punishment increase under norman’s due to increase in crime of treason
• late medieval crimes

  • crimes against person
  • crimes against church
  • crimes against authority
  • statute of labourers 1351
  • heresy laws 1414
  • high treason
• late medieval crime factors

  • poverty
  • fear of social change
  • religious ideas
• crimes against person (late medieval)

  criminal acts that cause physical harm to person
• crimes against church (late medieval)

  lollards started criticising church, demanded bible to be written in english instead of latin
• crimes against authority (late medieval)

  treason continued to be problem, peasants revolt 1381, thousands of peasants captured tower of london and demanded improved conditions
• statute of labourers 1351 (late medieval)

  black death 1348 meant fewer worker available, peasants demanded higher wages, ruling classes did not want powerful peasants to make it crime to ask for higher wages
• heresy laws 1382, 1401, 1414 (late medieval)

  few people in 13th/14th century questioned practices and beliefs of church, king wanted to support threatened church, made it crime to disagree with teachings of church