Crime and Punishment in Britain
GCSE History revision notes – thematic study, c1000–present
Anglo-Saxon England, 1000–1066
Structure of law enforcement
• England was divided into large regions called ‘shires’
• Each shire was divided into a ‘hundred’
• Each hundred was divided again into smaller units called a ‘tithing’
Growth in towns
• Growth in towns such as Southampton and London due to an increase in trade
• This led to an increase in crime, including:
◦ Crime against a person
◦ Crime against property
• Boroughs (towns) used courts to deal with the rise in trade and crime
Law enforcement (trials)
1. Take an oath, e.g. on a Bible or relic, declaring innocence – the accused was allowed ‘oath
helpers’ to swear alongside them
2. A religious trial (trial by ordeal) was used to find out whether someone was guilty or innocent
Trial by ordeal
• Cold water: if the accused floated, they were judged guilty; if they sank, they were judged innocent
• Hot water: the accused had to pick up an item out of boiling water – if the wound healed cleanly,
God had judged them innocent; if not, guilty
• Hot iron: the accused had to walk three paces while holding a red-hot iron
• Blessed bread: bread blessed by a priest had to be swallowed – swallowing it showed innocence,
choking on it showed guilt
Anglo-Saxon punishments
• Wergild – the ‘man price’, a fine paid to a victim or their family, e.g. for an assault
◦ Different injuries had set prices – e.g. loss of a finger could cost 100 shillings, loss of an eye
could cost 50 shillings [check exact figures]
Capital punishments
• Death penalty, used for the most serious crimes such as treason and murder – usually carried out
by hanging
Corporal punishments
• Physical harm inflicted on the offender
◦ Beating
◦ Mutilation – scars or cuts, or maiming (removing a body part)
Public punishments
• Considered the worst form of punishment because it was carried out for everyone to see
, ◦ Stocks – secured the feet
◦ Pillory – secured the arms and hands
Norman England, 1066–1154
Law enforcement: continuity and change
• Continuity – the hue and cry and the tithing system continued from Anglo-Saxon times
• Change – trial by combat was introduced: two people (or champions fighting for them) would fight
to settle an argument or accusation
• Crime was now seen as breaking the ‘King’s Peace’, not just harming a person or their family,
making the king more involved and increasing his importance
• The murder fine (‘murdrum’ fine): if a Norman was killed and the killer wasn’t caught, the whole
community had to pay a fine to the king [check detail]
• Trial by ordeal continued under the Normans
Forest laws
• William I declared large stretches of land as ‘royal forest’ – after the Norman conquest he took
control of a forest called the ‘New Forest’ (in Hampshire), evicting around 20 villages
• Forest laws were enforced by foresters, who policed the forests and punished anyone who broke
the law
• Breaking forest law could result in fines, corporal punishment (such as castration or blinding), or
being killed
New crimes
• Poaching – illegal hunting on royal forest land
• Becoming an outlaw – someone who broke forest law and was no longer protected by it
New punishments
• Mutilation – e.g. losing a hand or being blinded for poaching or other forest law offences
Late Middle Ages, 1154–1485
King Henry II's reforms
• Henry II became king in 1154
• He set up prisons to hold criminals awaiting trial
• He ordered royal judges (‘circuit judges’) to travel the country and visit each county to decide the
most serious cases – this was set out in the Assize of Clarendon
• Sheriffs ran each shire/county and were now expected to bring suspects to court
Law enforcement: continuity
• Coroners were introduced to investigate suspicious deaths
• Trial by ordeal was banned by the Pope in 1215, since the Church no longer wanted to be
involved – trial by jury became the main way of deciding guilt
New laws
• Statute of Labourers, 1351 – after the Black Death there were more jobs than workers, so workers
tried to demand higher wages. Parliament passed this law to keep wages the same as before the
plague, making it illegal to ask for, or pay, more
GCSE History revision notes – thematic study, c1000–present
Anglo-Saxon England, 1000–1066
Structure of law enforcement
• England was divided into large regions called ‘shires’
• Each shire was divided into a ‘hundred’
• Each hundred was divided again into smaller units called a ‘tithing’
Growth in towns
• Growth in towns such as Southampton and London due to an increase in trade
• This led to an increase in crime, including:
◦ Crime against a person
◦ Crime against property
• Boroughs (towns) used courts to deal with the rise in trade and crime
Law enforcement (trials)
1. Take an oath, e.g. on a Bible or relic, declaring innocence – the accused was allowed ‘oath
helpers’ to swear alongside them
2. A religious trial (trial by ordeal) was used to find out whether someone was guilty or innocent
Trial by ordeal
• Cold water: if the accused floated, they were judged guilty; if they sank, they were judged innocent
• Hot water: the accused had to pick up an item out of boiling water – if the wound healed cleanly,
God had judged them innocent; if not, guilty
• Hot iron: the accused had to walk three paces while holding a red-hot iron
• Blessed bread: bread blessed by a priest had to be swallowed – swallowing it showed innocence,
choking on it showed guilt
Anglo-Saxon punishments
• Wergild – the ‘man price’, a fine paid to a victim or their family, e.g. for an assault
◦ Different injuries had set prices – e.g. loss of a finger could cost 100 shillings, loss of an eye
could cost 50 shillings [check exact figures]
Capital punishments
• Death penalty, used for the most serious crimes such as treason and murder – usually carried out
by hanging
Corporal punishments
• Physical harm inflicted on the offender
◦ Beating
◦ Mutilation – scars or cuts, or maiming (removing a body part)
Public punishments
• Considered the worst form of punishment because it was carried out for everyone to see
, ◦ Stocks – secured the feet
◦ Pillory – secured the arms and hands
Norman England, 1066–1154
Law enforcement: continuity and change
• Continuity – the hue and cry and the tithing system continued from Anglo-Saxon times
• Change – trial by combat was introduced: two people (or champions fighting for them) would fight
to settle an argument or accusation
• Crime was now seen as breaking the ‘King’s Peace’, not just harming a person or their family,
making the king more involved and increasing his importance
• The murder fine (‘murdrum’ fine): if a Norman was killed and the killer wasn’t caught, the whole
community had to pay a fine to the king [check detail]
• Trial by ordeal continued under the Normans
Forest laws
• William I declared large stretches of land as ‘royal forest’ – after the Norman conquest he took
control of a forest called the ‘New Forest’ (in Hampshire), evicting around 20 villages
• Forest laws were enforced by foresters, who policed the forests and punished anyone who broke
the law
• Breaking forest law could result in fines, corporal punishment (such as castration or blinding), or
being killed
New crimes
• Poaching – illegal hunting on royal forest land
• Becoming an outlaw – someone who broke forest law and was no longer protected by it
New punishments
• Mutilation – e.g. losing a hand or being blinded for poaching or other forest law offences
Late Middle Ages, 1154–1485
King Henry II's reforms
• Henry II became king in 1154
• He set up prisons to hold criminals awaiting trial
• He ordered royal judges (‘circuit judges’) to travel the country and visit each county to decide the
most serious cases – this was set out in the Assize of Clarendon
• Sheriffs ran each shire/county and were now expected to bring suspects to court
Law enforcement: continuity
• Coroners were introduced to investigate suspicious deaths
• Trial by ordeal was banned by the Pope in 1215, since the Church no longer wanted to be
involved – trial by jury became the main way of deciding guilt
New laws
• Statute of Labourers, 1351 – after the Black Death there were more jobs than workers, so workers
tried to demand higher wages. Parliament passed this law to keep wages the same as before the
plague, making it illegal to ask for, or pay, more
