History Crime and Punishment 1000-1500

History Crime and Punishment 1000-1500

1. Crimes

   • Crimes against the person
     • Murder
     • Assault
     • Public disorder
     • Rape
   • Crimes against property
     • Arson
     • Theft
     • Counterfiting coins
   • Crimes against authority
     • Treason
     • Rebellion
   • In the early times law was not written down and was local custom. However by the b1000 kings were issuing laws such as the forest laws. When Henry II became King in 1154 laws were written down meaning there was a uniformed legal system

2. New Crime

   • Forest laws
     • About 30% of England became royal forests
     • Village communities were evicted from these areas
     • Only those who paid for hunting rights were allowed to hunt in the royal forest
     • It became illegal to graze animals, kill wild animals or take wood without licence
   • Murdrum fine
     • if an anglo-saxon murdered a Norman and the culprit was not caught the the culprit was not caught then the people in the area had to pay a fine
     • Murdering a Norman became a more serious crime

3. Anglo-saxon law enforcement

   • Tithings
     • A tithing contained ten men
     • Each man was responsible to bring a man to court and if they did'nt they would have to pay a fine
   • Hue and Cry
     • The victim or witness started a Hue and Cry ny shouting to alert others
     • Anyone who heard it was expected to join in the chase
   • Courts
     • Royal courts for serious crimes
     • shire courts local courts
     • hundred courts for petty crimes
     • Church courts
       • Trial by ordeal
         • Trial by hot water
         • Trial by water
         • Trial by consecrated bread(priests only
       • Sanctuary
         • Could not be arrested but either had to agree to go to court or leave the country
       • Benifit of the clergy

4. Change and continuity in Law enforcement Normans

   • Change
     • Parish constables were introduced
     • Night watch men
     • Foresters
       • Used to police the forests
     • Justices of peace
   • Continiuty
     • The hue and cry system was still used as did tithings
     • trial by ordeal was still used

5. Medival punishments

   • Fines
     • Wergild
       • Fine for murdering someone. It increased with class and role
   • Stocks
   • Corpral punishment
   • Flogging
   • capital punishment