Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Norman England (Early Middle Ages)
TASK: You need to make flash cards from these questions and answers or a mind map or any other way
you find it easy to revise and retain knowledge. You must revise this knowledge for 10-15 minutes each
day and it will go into your long-term memory. You will be tested on this two weeks from when you
receive the HW. If you have completed the task accurately you should be getting between 25-30 correct.
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What type of society was Roman Society?
a. Hierarchical – Wealthy at the top, slaves at the bottom.
b. Patriarchal – Women, children and slaves obeyed male head of the family.
c. Unequal – Poverty lead to crime. The wealthy had all the power.
What were the three key aspects of Roman Law?
a. One central system of law and law enforcement.
b. Laws were written down and displayed so people knew them.
c. Innocent until proven guilty – fair trial with presentation of evidence.
What where the 3 most common crimes in Roman Britain?
a. Crimes against property.
b. Crimes against the person.
c. Crimes against authority.
Give 2 examples of crimes against property from Roman Britain.
a. Petty theft.
b. Selling underweight goods.
c. Burglary.
Give 2 examples of crimes against the person from Roman Britain.
a. Street violence.
b. Murder.
Give 2 examples of crimes against authority from Roman Britain.
a. Plotting against the emperor.
b. Refusing to conform to the official state religion.
What punishment was used most often under Roman law?
a. The death penalty – crucifixion; being thrown to the lions.
Give 3 examples of other punishments use in Roman Britain.
a. Flogging and beating.
b. Repaying the cost of stolen goods.
c. Cutting off limbs.
d. Being sent into exile.
e. Being forced to become a gladiator.
Who was in charge of dealing with riots and disorders in Roman Britain?
a. Roman legions.
What did victims of crime have to do to get justice?
a. Report the crime to the local centurion (who decides if it will go to court).
b. Take the suspect to the local centurion.
c. Gather evidence for the centurion and the court.
Who dealt with minor crimes in Roman Britain?
a. Magistrates in local courts.
Who dealt with serious crimes in Roman Britain?
a. The Roman Governor of Britain.
What happened to the central law and order system when the Romans left in the 5th century?
a. It collapsed.
At the beginning of the Saxon period, who could punish criminals?
a. The victims of crime / their families.
By the year 1000 who had responsibility for crime and punishment in Saxon England?
a. Tithing’s.
b. Guilt or innocence was decided in a court by a group of local freemen.
What did you have to do if you witnessed a crime?
a. Raise a ‘Hue and Cry’
What was a blood feud?
a. When murder was avenged by a relative who killed someone in the killers family. That death would
then be avenged. These could last for generations.
What was a Wergeld?
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a. A payment made to the family of a murdered person. Different prices were paid depending on the
importance of the victim. It replaced Blood feuds.
What was a Tithing?
a. A collection of 10 freemen. If one committed a crime the others had to make sure he went to court or
they would have to pay a fine for him.
Who was in overall charge of British law in the Anglo-Saxon period?
a. Anglo-Saxon Kings drew up a code of law based on custom and not written down.
Give 3 examples of Anglo-Saxon punishments.
a. Fines and compensation.
b. Floggings and beatings.
c. Confiscation of property.
d. Cutting off hands, feet or the tongue.
e. Execution (rarely used).
How did the increasing influence of the Church affect crime and punishment in the Anglo-Saxon period?
a. Made news laws and so criminalised new things.
b. New punishments like trial by ordeal (Hot Water, Cold Water / Fire). They believed God would
decide a person’s innocence.
How did the law system change under the Normans after 1066?
a. Became unified again.
What were the 2 main influencing factors on the legal system in the Norman period?
a. The King.
b. The Church.
Give 3 examples of law enforcement methods use in the Norman period.
a. Tithings.
b. Hue and Cry.
c. Court system – more set up for serious crimes.
d. Trial by combat (new)
What did Norman Forest Laws introduce as crimes?
a. Poaching / cutting down trees from the 30% of England’s land that was royal forest.
Who policed forest laws?
a. A large network of officials – punishments were very harsh.
How did the church change crime and punishment in Norman England?
a. Sex outside marriage became a crime.
b. All clergy were tried in a church court (death penalty could not be imposed).
c. Many people learned bible passages off by heart to be able to claim ‘benefit of the clergy.’
What is the ‘Right to Sanctuary’?
a. ‘Right to sanctuary’ – couldn’t be arrested if they were in a church and if they confessed they would
be allowed to leave the country.
How did the Norman invasion change punishments?
a. The use of the death penalty rose dramatically, as did mutilations.
b. Death penalty now covered theft.
c. Paying compensation to victims of crime declined.