C+P 1000 - 1500 part 1 Flashcards
crimes against the person
murder
assault
insulting a neighbour
public disorder
The most common crimes were against property. These included:
petty theft
ploughing someone else’s land
poaching
counterfeiting coins
arson
Social crime
Poaching was considered a social crime and many villages did not punish people who did it.
crimes against authority
betraying your lord
treason
who was responsible for law enforcement during Anglo Saxon England
Around the year 1000, law enforcement and punishment in Anglo-Saxon England were mainly the responsibility of the local community and the Church.
People lived in villages and knew their neighbours well.
People had a sense of responsibility to one another to maintain law and order.
Tithings
There was no police force in Anglo-Saxon England. The role of the tithing was to prevent crime.
A tithing system was used and every male villager over the age of 12 would join the tithing. Each English shire was divided into hundreds and each hundred had ten tithings.
sheriffs/ shire reeves
One member from each tithing within the hundred met with the shire reeve (later called the king’s sheriff) to prevent crime, particularly cattle theft.
If one person from the group broke a law, the other members would be responsible for taking them to court or paying a fine.
fill in the blanks
………… …………… was important in law enforcement in Anglo-Saxon England. If an individual committed a crime, they would let down their whole community.
Collective responsibility
Hue and Cry
When a crime was committed, the victim would raise the
hue and cry,which means they shouted for help. The other villagers were expected to stop working when they heard this. They would help the victim and try to catch the criminal. If a villager did not join the hue and cry, they were expected to pay a fine.
There were two types of trial used in Anglo-Saxon England:
*what are they? *
Trial by local jury
Trial by ordeal
Trial by jury?
The jury was made up of men from the village tithing who knew the accuser and the accused.
The jury would listen to accounts from both, and possibly witnesses, before deciding who was telling the truth.
Because the jury would know both the accuser and the accused, they could also use their knowledge of both people’s characters to make their decision.
Trial by ordeal
If a local jury could not decide the outcome of a crime, then the villagers would turn to God to decide.
Extra info:
This was known as judicium dei (by the judgement of God) or trial by ordeal. Trial by ordeal often took place in a church. The accused would fast for three days and then hear Mass before their trial. A priest would always be present.
Types of trials by ordeal
TRIAL BY HOT IRON
TRIAL BY HOT WATER
TRIAL BY BLESSED BREAD
TRIAL BY COLD WATER
what is trial by hot iron?
The accused would hold a burning hot weight in their hand and then their hand would be bandaged. If after three days the wound had healed, it was believed that God had judged the person to be innocent.
Trial by hot water?
The accused would put their hand into boiling hot water to pick up an object. Their hand would then be bandaged. If after three days the wound had healed, it was believed that God had judged the person to be innocent.
