Middle Ages CP

Question 1

middle ages crimes against the person

Answer 1

murdrum
assault
murder
public disorder
rape

Question 2

middle ages crimes against property

Answer 2

arson
theft
poaching
counterfeiting coins

Question 3

middle ages crimes against authority

Answer 3

treason

rebellion

Question 4

define poaching

Answer 4

hunting wild animals on other’s land without paying hunting rights
social crime -> people turned a blind eye as they needed food to survive
it was previously common land

Question 5

explain forest laws

Answer 5

30% of england became royal forests 
only to be used by nobility
communities evicted from this land
cant cut down trees
had to pay hunting rights to use them -> seen as unfair

Question 6

explain murdrum

Answer 6

if an anglo-saxon/non norman killed a norman and the criminal wasn’t found, the people in the hundred/area where the crime was committed had to pay a fine
murdering a norman became a serious crime

Question 7

define a hundred

Answer 7

an area (of land)

Question 8

why was the crime-rate low?

Answer 8

small communities

everyone knew eachother

Question 9

how many tithings per hundred?

Answer 9

10

Question 10

what’s a shire reeve?

Answer 10

local man
met regularly with 1 man per tithing
took criminals to court
made sure punishments were carried out
BECAME THE SHERIFF LATER ON

Question 11

describe royal courts

Answer 11

national
dealt with serious crimes
inconsistent -> verdict depended greatly on who was on the jury and if they knew the accused, resulting in biased judgements
CHANGE -> REPLACED SHIRE COURTS

Question 12

shire courts

Answer 12

dealt with lesser crimes

CONTINUITY

Question 13

hundred courts

Answer 13

dealt with petty crimes

CONTINUITY

Question 14

church courts

Answer 14

less serious crimes

for churchmen or people who said the neck verse

Question 15

define sanctuary

Answer 15

stay at the church for up to 40 days

decide whether to face trial or go into exile

Question 16

define pennance

Answer 16

making up for your crime

e.g. going to church more

Question 17

what are moral offences?

Answer 17

crimes against God

Question 18

define benefit of the clergy

Answer 18

the right to be trialed in a church court
for moral crimes
people who couldn’t read/write memorised neck verse
they were less harsh -> showed unequal treatment

Question 19

what’s the neck verse?

Answer 19

bible passage you recite to show you’re part of the church

Question 20

law enforcement continuity

Answer 20

hue and cry
tithings
most of the court system (royal courts = new)

Question 21

law enforcement change

Answer 21

trial by combat -> guilty  one dies
foresters -> enforced forest laws
parish constable
sheriff (ROLE CHANGE)
coroner
sanctuary 
justices of the peace

Question 22

what happened as towns grew

Answer 22

authorities were more involved

before it was mainly up to locals

Question 23

what’s a parish constable?

Answer 23

local person
volunteer
led hue and cry

Question 24

what’s a coroner’s job?

Answer 24

investigates unnatural deaths

Question 25

what’s a sheriff?

Answer 25

ensured criminals were punished?

NEW ROLE : to track down criminals

Question 26

changes in justice

Answer 26

royal courts -> scribes, wrote everything down
oath/neck verse
trial by ordeal -> abolished 1215

Question 27

changes in punishments

Answer 27

you can get a pardon from the king
you can join the army for punishment
fines now paid to the king

Question 28

what’s a justice of the peace?

Answer 28

1361
volunteering judges
in small courts

Question 29

what’s a justice of the assize/eyre?

Answer 29

royal judge appointed by king
visited counties twice a year to judge serious cases
created courts -> royal courts
established prisons for those waiting to be trialed
ensured punishments were consistent

Question 30

what’s the assize of clarendon?

Answer 30

1166

created clear rules on how to deal with criminals

Question 31

when was the justices of the peace act passed?

Answer 31

1361

Question 32

examples of punishments

Answer 32

mutilation/maiming, flogging -> corporal
fines
stocks/pillory
hanging, beheading -> capital

Question 33

why did capital punishment increase?

Answer 33

tension between normans and saxons
replaced wergild -> to act as a deterrent
more crimes became capital
its use later decreased

Question 34

when were coroners introduced?

Answer 34

1190

Question 35

why was the neck verse an issue?

Answer 35

guilty criminals memorised it to get away with crimes

Question 36

what happened to women who nagged their husbands?

Answer 36

dunked into water with dunking stool

Question 37

state diff. trial by ordeals

Answer 37

hot water
hot iron
water (sink/float)
bread
combat
ABOLISHED 1215