c.1000-1500: Medieval England

Question 1

two main policing methods in anglo-saxon society

Answer 1

tithing

hue and cry

Question 2

two main types of trials in anglo-saxon society

Answer 2

trial by local jury

trial by ordeal

Question 3

tithing

Answer 3

groups of 10 men
responsible for each others behaviour
if one broke the law then the others had to bring him to court or pay a fine

Question 4

hue and cry

Answer 4

if an alarm was raised the entire village had to hunt for the criminal, if someone didn’t join the hue and cry then the whole village had to pay a heavy fine

Question 5

trial by local jury

Answer 5

a jury of local men who knew the accuser and the accused, if there was no clear evidence, the jury members decided guilt or innocence based on their knowledge of those concerned

Question 6

trial by ordeal

Answer 6

if a local jury couldn’t agree, the hope that god would decide was used instead. All ordeals were taken in a church or near a church with a priestpresrent

Question 7

4 types of trial by ordeal

Answer 7

cold water
hot water
hot iron
blessed bread

Question 8

trial by cold water

Answer 8

taken by men
accused lowered into the water on the end of a rope
if the accused sank below the water they were innocent
if the accused floated then he had been rejected by the pure water and he was guilty

Question 9

trial by hot water

Answer 9

taken by men
accused put his hand into boiling water to pick up an object
the hand was bandaged and unwrapped 3 days later, cleanly healing wound meant innocence

Question 10

trial by hot iron

Answer 10

taken by women
the accused picked up a red hot weight and walked three paces with it
the hand was bandaged and unwrapped 3 days later, cleanly healing wound meant innocence

Question 11

trial by blessed bread

Answer 11

taken by priests
a priest prayed that the accused would choke on bread if they lied
the accused was found guilty if he choked

Question 12

3 main punishments in anglo-saxon society

Answer 12

mainly wergild

capital and corporal punishment were also used

Question 13

capital and corporal punishment

Answer 13

execution: the death penalty was used for treason against the king or betraying your lord, helped to enforce loyalty
mutilation: reoffenders could lose a hand, an ear or their nose or even be blinded

Question 14

wergild

Answer 14

compensation paid to the victims of crime or their families
levels of fines were set by the kings laws depending on your social standing/importance
also different payments made depending on the damage made and to which body part depended on the cost paid

Question 15

norman laws

Answer 15

Murdrum fines
Forest laws
majority of anglo-saxon law enforcement stayed the same

Question 16

murdrum fine

Answer 16

the whole of the community had to pay a heavy fine if any norman was killed, to deter possible rebellion

Question 17

forest laws

Answer 17

trees couldn’t be cut down for buildings or fuel
people living near forests were forbidden to own dogs/bows/arrows
anyone caught hunting deer had their fingers chopped off and re-offenders were blinded

Question 18

norman law enforcement

Answer 18

kept tithings and hue and cry
trial by ordeal continued
trial by combat was introduced
church courts were established

Question 19

trial by combat

Answer 19

the accused fought the accuser until one of them was killed or unable to fight on, the loser was then hanged as god had judged him to be guilty

Question 20

norman punishment

Answer 20

ended wergild and instead all fines were paid to the king’s officials rather than the victim/their families
normans used capital punishment for serious crimes and re-offenders

Question 21

what was the growing belief in c1100-1500 (the later middle ages)

Answer 21

deterrence

Question 22

law enforcement- policing methods in the later middle ages

Answer 22

tithings and hue and cry
village constables
coroners
sheriff

Question 23

constables

Answer 23

men from every village or town appointed to uphold law and order, they did this in their own time and received no payments

Question 24

posse

Answer 24

group of men aged 15 and over called on by the sheriff to track down a criminal

Question 25

law enforcement- trials in the later middle ages

Answer 25

manor courts royal judges no more trial by ordeal

Question 26

when was trial by ordeal abolished

Answer 26

1215

Question 27

what were manor courts used for

Answer 27

local courts to deal with minor crimes

Question 28

what were royal judges used for

Answer 28

travelling around the country hearing the more serious cases juries for manor and royal courts were from the local area

Question 29

punishments in the later middle ages

Answer 29

fines public humiliations capital punishment

Question 30

fines later middle ages

Answer 30

most minor crimes were punished by fines paid to the king's officials

Question 31

public humiliations later middle ages examples

Answer 31

stocks and pillories | whipping

Question 32

later middle ages stocks

Answer 32

a wooden frame with holes in it that locked in the feet of the offender

Question 33

later middle ages pillories

Answer 33

wooden frame with holes in it that locked the head and the hands of the offender

Question 34

what were public humiliations in the later middle ages used for

Answer 34

a deterrence

Question 35

sanctuary (did the church help or hinder justice in the early 13th century?)

Answer 35

someone on the run from the law could reach a church and claim sanctuary, they could stay there for 40 days and nobody could remove them as they are under the protection of the church after those 40 days, they have to either face the trial or leave the country

Question 36

church courts (did the church help or hinder justice in the early 13th century?)

Answer 36

the church claimed the rights to trey any churchman accused of a crime in its own courts, couldn't sentence people to death no matter how serious the crime church courts also dealt with a range of moral offences

Question 37

benefit of the clergy (did the church help or hinder justice in the early 13th century?)

Answer 37

the claim by the accused person to be tried in the more lenient church courts, anyone loosely connected to the church used it to escape the harder punishments, had to read the "neck verse"

Question 38

why was the verse required to read from the bible in the benefit of the clergy called the "neck verse"?

Answer 38

as it could save your neck from the hangman's noose

Question 39

trial by ordeal (did the church help or hinder justice in the early 13th century?)

Answer 39

based more on luck than real guilt or innocence guilty criminals could escape hindered being able to detect true criminals