Punishments in Medieval England

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Punishments in Medieval England

The main principles behind punishments in the Medieval Period were deterrence and retribution.

Deterrence and retribution

Punishments were supposed to be severe enough that they would deter people from actually committing a crime.
Retribution is the idea that a person should ‘pay’ for what they have done.

Corporal punishment

This is the method of punishment to the body and could result in a period of time in the stocks and pillory.
Often offenders would find themselves with either their head and hands or their ankles clamped between two pieces of wood.
This punishment would take place in public, with the idea being to humiliate offenders and ultimately deter others from committing crimes.

Reoffenders

Re-offenders were treated more harshly.
- Sometimes they would face mutilation to parts of their bodies, such as cutting off a hand, ear or nose, or even ‘putting-out’ the eyes.
Again the severity of this punishment was designed to deter them from further crimes.

Fines

A system of fines was used in Medieval England. This was known as the Wergild.
The main principle was that the offender paid an amount of money to the victim of their crime. This method was mainly used in cases of crimes against the person or property.
The amount of money paid was directly linked to the crime that had taken place.

Capital punishment

The death penalty or execution was reserved for serious crimes. Treason would be a crime that resulted in the death penalty.
Treason is when you go against your King or betray your Lord. The punishment was severe again in order to show others how important it is to be loyal to those in authority.

Prison

In Medieval England, prison was not widely used in the same way as it is today.
There were two main reasons why you could end up in prison:
- You were either waiting to be executed or you were being held in debtors prison because you owed someone money.

Changes in Punishment Following the Norman Invasion

The Normans made some changes to the punishment system in England following their invasion in 1066.

The Wergild

The system of Wergild was removed and fines were paid to the King and his officials rather than the victims of crime.

Reaction to Norman changes

Following their invasion, there was a lot of distrust and anger towards the Normans.
Some Saxons fought back against their new rulers and killed Norman soldiers.
As a result, William introduced the Murdrum Fine.
- This meant that if a Norman was killed then everyone in the area would have to club together to pay a fine to the king.

Trial by combat

Lastly the Normans were warriors so they introduced Trial by Combat.
The accused had to fight the accuser until one was either killed or unable to continue to fight.
The loser was hanged as God would have considered him guilty.

1Medieval England, 1000-1500

1.1Changing Definition of Crime in Medieval England

1.1.1Early Medieval Society

1.2Nature of Law Enforcement & Punishment

1.2.1Enforcing the Law in Medieval Society

1.2.2Punishments in Medieval England

1.2.3End of Topic Test - Early Medieval Society

1.3Case Studies From 1000-1500

1.3.1The Church

1.3.2End of Topic Test - The Church

1.3.3Grade 9 - Medieval England

2Early Modern England, 1500-1700

2.1Changing Definitions of Crime

2.1.1Early Modern Society

2.1.2Crime in the Early Modern Period

2.1.3End of Topic Test - Early Modern Crime

2.2Nature of Law Enforcement & Punishment

2.2.1Punishments in Early Modern Society

2.2.2Law Enforcement in Early Modern Society

2.2.3End of Topic Test - Early Modern Law Enforcement

2.2.4Grade 9 - Early Modern England

2.3Case Studies From 1500-1700

2.3.1Key Individuals

2.3.2End of Topic Test - Case Studies 1500-1700

2.3.3Grade 9 - Case Studies From 1500-1700

318th & 19th Century Britain

3.1Changing Definition of Crime in Industrial Britain

3.1.1Society in Industrial Britain

3.1.2Crime in Industrial Britain

3.1.3End of Topic Test - Crime in Industrial Britain

3.2Nature of Law Enforcement & Punishment

3.2.1Punishment in Industrial Society

3.2.2Punishment in Industrial Society 2

3.2.3Policing in the Industrial Period

3.2.4End of Topic Test - Punishment

3.3Case Studies From 1700-1900

3.3.1Changes to the Prison System

3.3.2End of Topic Test - Case Studies From 1700-1900

3.3.3Grade 9 - 18th & 19th Century

4Modern Britain, 1900-Present

4.1Changing Definition of Crime in Modern Britain

4.1.1Society in Modern Britain

4.1.2Crime in Modern Britain

4.1.3End of Topic Test - Crime in Modern Britain

4.2Nature of Law Enforcement & Punishment

4.2.1Punishment in Modern Britain

4.2.2Attitudes Towards Punishment

4.2.3Capital Punishment

4.2.4End of Topic Test - Punishment in Modern Britain

4.2.5Grade 9 - Modern Britain

4.3Case Studies 1900-2000

4.3.1Modern Britain Case Studies

4.3.2End of Topic Test - Modern Britain Case Studies

4.3.3Grade 9 - Case Studies 1900-2000

5Whitechapel Local Study

5.1The Geographical Area & Living Conditions

5.1.1Accommodation in Whitechapel

5.1.2Living Conditions

5.1.3End of Topic Test - Whitechapel Local Study

5.2The People of Whitechapel

5.2.1Alcohol & Immigration

5.2.2Prostitution

5.2.3Racial Tensions

5.2.4End of Topic Test - The People of Whitechapel

5.2.5Grade 9 - Whitechapel

5.3Policing in Whitechapel

5.3.1The Police Force in Whitechapel

5.3.2Jack the Ripper

5.3.3Challenges Facing the Police

5.3.4End of Topic Test - Policing in Whitechapel

5.3.5Grade 9 - Policing Whitechapel

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