The Norman Conquest - 1066

England was united

under the leadership
of Alfred the Great.
He managed to
defeat most of the
Viking raiders. By
the 1000s England
was one united
country with one
single set of laws.
Having defeated the vikings
Anglo Saxons were soon
given a new challenge. In
1066 a duke from Normandy
in France invaded and killed
Harold Godwinson the Saxon
King. His name was William
the Conqueror.
As with Saxon times, the Tithings
were still used. The Shire reeve was
also still used but he became known
as the Sheriff.
 The Posse was similar to a tithing.
They were a groiup of men that
the sheriff would use to help him
track down an outlaw.

Each village elected a Constable

for one year. This was a normal
member of the village who had to
also sort out law and order for one
year. Most of the well respected
men in a village would do a spell as
a constable.
 In was in the later middle ages that
Coroners were first used. Their main
role was to investigate the cause of death
and organise criminals who were in
sanctuary. They had no medical training
and did not dissect bodies but they may
investigate by questioning.

It wasn’t until the Early Modern period

that coroners used medical dissection
to help them.
By the later Middle Ages, the
Sheriffs job bacame that of the
Justice of the Peace. Each
village had one. It was often the
most wealthy man in the village.
After the Norman Conquest William declared
all forests as Royal Forests. These Forest
Laws made it a crime to hunt or even chop
down trees in the forest.
 Rebellion was common after the
Battle of Hastings as many of the
Saxons in Britain refused to accept
the new Norman rulers.

Hereward the Wake

An Outlaw was someone who had escaped capture and was wanted for a crime.
If caught they could be executed. The most famous outlaw was Robin Hood. If
he did exist, he was a man who fought with the Sheriff of Nottingham. He did not
rob the rich to feed the poor.
 An example of a real Outlaw gang
would be the Folville Gang. They
were a gang of thieves who stole and
murdered for a living. They were
eventually pardoned by joining the
king’s army and fighting for him.

The Folville cross marks the point

where the gang killed Roger Bellere
Because of paying tto much
tax, the peasants of Kent
marched to London in 1381.
They campaigned to the
king to reduce the tax.
There was a scuffle in
which the king’s adviser
was killed. The king
ordered the rebels to go
home, which they did. They
were later rounded up and
the ring leaders were
executed.
In order to reduce crime and prevent rebellion William used public execution as
a deterrant. He also used more public punishments like whipping and stocks.
There were a number of ways to avoid execution.
• Read the Neck Verse
• Get pregnant
• Join the Army
• Become King’s Approver (Snitch)
• Buy a pardon
The Fines system was different
from the Wergild. During Saxon
times your fine went to the person
that you had hurt. After the
Norman Conquest, your fine went
to king.
You may have had you eyes gouged out if you killed a stag as the
king’s considered them to be their property.
The Dunking Stool was saved for women who were Scolds
Being tied to a cart (Carting), whipped, stocks and pillory became much more
common. They were punishments given out for a variety of crimes. Petty theft,
vagrancy, selling mouldy produce, fighting in the street whilts drunk. The point
of it being in public was to humiliate and so deter.
The Normans introduced the custom of Peine Fort et Dure. This was
being crushed to death by having weights put on your chest. If you
refused to speak or defend yourself in court it would be an option.
Although you obviously died, you died an innocent man and so you
family got to keep your belongings.
Kings were responsible for making the law
throughout the Middle Ages. They would
enforce the King’s Peace.

Most of the old Saxon Laws remained

unchanged into the Norman period. The
Normans simply changed and adapted a
few to suit their needs. Juries became
more commonly used as did evidence.
Trial by Ordeal was replaced by
Trial by Combat but the
principle was the same. It was
used in cases where guilt could
not be decided as they believed
that God would not let an
innocent man suffer.
Norman law was unfair as it favoured
Normans over Saxons. It also sometimes
favoured the rich.
Prison tended to be used for those
awaiting trial. If there was a castle
nearby it would be the dungeon.
Other than that it would be a secure
building that was actually quite easy
to escape from. It would be the
Tithings responsibility to guard the
building but it was sometimes
cheaper to allow the criminal to
escape a pay the fine instead of
missing days of work.
The court system remained
virtually the same. They just
changed the name of some of
the courts.
Royal Courts held by kings for
very important cases stayed as
Royal Courts
Shire Courts held twice a year by
King’s officials, dealt with serious
cases became Quarter Sessions
held 4 times a year
Hundred Courts held once a
month to sort minor crimes and
organise the tithing. Didn’t meet
as often
Manor courts held by lords to
sort out their workers remained
Manor Courts
 Some King’s such as Henry II took care to sort out the
Law

Other King’s like Richard I spent the majority of

his reign fighting abroad and paid little attention to
Law and Order

During the reign of Henry VI there was a break

down in Law and Order. Henry gave too much
freedom to his favourite and some them got away
with very poor behaviour