C+P 1000 - 1500 part 2

Question 1

fill in the blanks

After he became king of England in ….., William I …….. many Anglo-Saxon methods of law enforcement and also added to them.

Answer 1

After he became king of England in 1066, William I continued many Anglo-Saxon methods of law enforcement and also added to them.

Question 2

What language were laws now written in?

Answer 2

*Norman French

Question 3

Did the local community continue to take responsibility for law enforcement?

Answer 3

yes

but later medieval kings took a greater interest in law enforcement

Question 4

fill in the blanks

William was also …….’ on criminals. He believed anyone who committed a crime was going against the ……’s ……. rather than just the ……. ……… .

Answer 4

William was also tougher on criminals. He believed anyone who committed a crime was going against the** King’s Peace** rather than just the individual victim.

Question 5

What aspect of law enforcement continued?

Answer 5

Collective responsibility in the community.

Question 6

Examples of continuity?

Answer 6

tithings

hue and cry

trial by ordeal

Question 7

What roles introduced in 1066 by William I and what were their purpose?

Answer 7

The role of sheriff and the posse were introduced by William I after 1066. It was their role to report any law breaking in the parish to the king.

If the hue and cry failed to catch the criminal, then the local sheriff would be informed. He would gather a group of able-bodied men - a posse - who would go out and hunt for the criminal.

Question 8

What type of courts did the Normans introuce?

Answer 8

Manor courts

These met to discuss and punish crimes that took place on the land of the lord of the manor.

Question 9

True or false?
The Normans introduced Trial by combat?

Answer 9

True

Often used to settle disagreements over money or land. In this type of trial, the accuser and the accused fought until one was killed or unable to fight any more. The loser was then hanged as it was believed that God had judged them to be guilty.

Question 10

True or false?
The Normans introduced Church courts?

Answer 10

True
Church courts were more lenient in their judgements than other courts when issuing a punishment.

If a member of the Church was accused of a crime, they were tried in these separate courts. There was no use of capital punishment in a Church court.

Question 11

Posse?

Answer 11

A group of men, organised by the sheriff, to catch a criminal.

Question 12

Royal court

Answer 12

Royal courts were introduced by Henry II in 1163. A royal court was appointed by the king and would travel the country.
The most serious cases of crime were heard by a royal court.

Question 13

Coroner

Answer 13

In 1194 Richard I introduced coroners. Their job was to investigate any death that occurred from unnatural causes, where there was no obvious natural explanation, such as illness. A coroner was appointed by the king.

Question 14

JPs?

Answer 14

From 1195, Richard I appointed some knights to keep the King’s Peace in areas where the local community found it difficult to maintain law and order. They were known as ‘keepers’. From 1327, Edward III developed this role into Justices of the Peace (JPs).

Initially known as Keepers of the King’s Peace

Question 15

How many times a year did JPs meet?

Answer 15

4
JPs would meet four times a year to take part in manor courts and enforce the law.

Question 16

Parish constable?

Answer 16

Parish constables were introduced in 1285 by Edward I. Men in the parish would volunteer for the role. They would be responsible for keeping the peace in their parish during their spare time.

Question 17

What aspects of punishments continued into the Norman period?

Answer 17

retribution +
deterrence

Question 18

Continuity regarding punishments…

William kept some punishments that had been used in Anglo-Saxon England:

Answer 18

He increased the use of capital punishment, such as death by hanging, for serious crimes and people who reoffended.
Corporal punishment continued to be used. For example, those who broke the newly introduced forest laws by hunting deer were punished by having their first two fingers cut off.
Fines were used for less serious crimes.

Question 19

Change regarding punishments…

However, William I also made changes to some of the punishments used in Anglo-Saxon England:

Answer 19

The murdrum fine was introduced. This large fine had to be paid by all those who lived in the region in which a Norman had been killed - if the murderer was not found and turned in to the authorities. Corpses were presumed to be Norman unless it could be proven that they were English.

Wergild ended and all fines were paid to William I and his officials, rather than the victim or their family.

Question 20

fill in the blanks

Person sentenced with high treason would be sentenced to being …. , …. and …… .

Answer 20

Person would be sentenced to being hanged, drawn and quartered.

Question 21

What is sanctuary?

Answer 21

A criminal who was trying to escape capture could go to a church to claim
sanctuary.

A place of protection from arrest within a church

Question 22

What happens after they claim sanctuary?

Answer 22

The criminal had 40 days to either attend trial or leave the country. If they chose to leave the country, they had to walk barefoot while carrying a cross to the nearest port. There they would leave by ship.

Question 23

true or false?

Church courts were introduced in Norman England.

Answer 23

True
All churchmen who were accused of a crime were tried in a Church court, which was overseen by a local bishop.

Church courts also heard a range of moral crimes, such as failure to attend church, drunkenness and playing games on a Sunday.

Question 24

True or false?
Church courts could give the death penalty.

Answer 24

False
The punishments given by a Church court were not as harsh as those given by a manor or royal court. The Church courts did not sentence people to death.

Instead punished by things like: confession and apology at Mass.

Question 25

Benefit of the clergy?

Answer 25

In medieval England it was only priests and churchmen who could read. To claim ‘benefit of the clergy’, an individual had to read a verse from the Bible.
People instead began memorising it and it became known as the ‘neck verse’.

Non-churchmen were able to get around this by learning a verse from the Bible, which they would recite. This became known as the ‘neck verse’ because it often saved people’s neck from the hangman’s noose.

Question 26

fill in the blanks…

In …., trial by ….. was ended by the …… because he disagreed with it. The system was …… ……. .

Answer 26

In 1215, trial by ordeal was ended by the Pope because he disagreed with it. The system was legally unreliable. It was possible for people to be found guilty when they were innocent, and to be found innocent when they were guilty.