Medieval England

Medieval - Anglo Saxon - c1000
What were the crimes?

Fairly low, most people had a strong sense of duty towards their communities.
There were still some crimes:
-crimes against a person
-crimes against authority
-crimes against property

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Medieval - Anglo Saxon - c1000
What were the law enforcements?

Tithings - group of 10 men (12+), responsible of each other, ensure criminal goes to the court or they get a fine.
Hue and Cry - victim/witness shouts for help, everyone expected to chase the criminal
Courts - innocence is decided in a court ‘royal - ser

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Medieval - Anglo Saxon - c1000
What were the punishments for crimes?

Wergild - a form of compensation for murder, based on a persons social status
Corporal punishments - Maiming and flogging were common, capital punishment rarely used.

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Medieval - Normans - 1066, c1200
What were the crimes?

Forest laws - 30% of England became ‘Royal Forest’ under William I, illegal to hunt or take wood, without a license
Rebellions - Norman invasion wasn’t welcomed by Anglo Saxon, large rebellions in York and Easy Anglia, punished harshly, destroying agricul

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Medieval - Normans - 1066, c1200
What were the law enforcements?

Continuity from Anglo Saxon:
- tithing
- hue and cry
- court system
Changes:
Trial by combat - two people involved in dispute would fight till death.
Foresters - policed the royal forests, enforced the forest laws, hated and feared by local communities.

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Medieval - Normans - 1066, c1200
What were the punishments?

Continuity:
- minor crimes, fines
- whippings
- time in stocks
Changes:
Uses of capital punishment and corporal punishment rose, more offences became capital crimes. Forest laws punished harshly, including, castration, binding and hanging,
Wergild was

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Medieval - Later Medieval - 1200, c1500
What were the crimes?

As towns grew, so did the crimes.

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Medieval - Later Medieval - 1200, c1500
What were the law enforcements?

Continuity:
- tithings
- hue and cry
Changes:
Trial by ordeal and combat were abolished in 1215. Role of sheriff increased, track down criminals.
From 1215 could form a posse to catch the criminal.
Parish constable - nominated by the community , unpaid

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Medieval - Later Medieval - 1200, c1500
What were the punishments?

Continuity:
- corporal punishment, widely used
- crimes against authority, harshly punished
Change:
Use of capital punishment gradually decreased, but commoners were hanged for murder, whilst nobles beheaded.
Fines became more common.

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Early Modern - 1500, c1700
What were the crimes?

- crimes against a person increased due to population increase (petty thieves)
- end of feudalism, farming methods of enclosed land increased, led to more crime against property (poaching)
- crime against authority, due to constant religion of the monarch

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In early modern England, what were the new crimes?

Vagabondage - homeless, unemployed viewed as lazy criminals
Smuggling - import taxes placed on certain goods, people sneaked them in so they don’t pay tax
Witchcraft - not necessarily new, but dealt with much more seriously , punishable by death.

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Early Modern - 1500, c1700
What was the witch-hunts?

1645-1647
During the English civil war, people tried to discover witches. Intensity may have been due to religious change, economic problems, social changes, and influence of individuals.
James I’s book ‘Daemonologie’

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What act was made in 1547 for vagrants and what did it do?

Vagrancy Act - split the poor into the deserving and idle poor, the deserving given help by the poor relief, whilst the idle punished for their laziness.

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Early Modern - 1500, c1700
What were the law enforcements?

Continuity:
- hue and cry
- no national police force
Change:
- role of church, less significant. 1576, church couldn’t try criminal acts, and in 1623, James I abolished sanctuary.
- Watchmen
- Town constable, power to arrest suspects and take them to

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Early Modern - 1500, c1700
What were the punishments?

Continuity:
- fines for minor crimes
- capital/corporal punishment used with the main aim of retribution and deterrence
Change:
- 1688, number of capital offences increased to 50, known as the ‘bloody code’
- transportation: criminals transported to work

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Medieval England

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