There were no medieval police, The Anglo Saxons placed crime prevention squarely on the local community through the tithing, the Hue and Cry, and the posse comitatus.
The tithing was a group of ten people. Everyone had to be a member of a tithing and each had to take responsibility for the others. Thus if any one member of the tithing broke the law the others had to take responsibility for getting the accused to court. If they failed, they would face punishment themselves.
The hue and cry. This meant that anyone wronged could call upon everyone else in a community to chase a criminal simply by calling on them to do so. Again, if they did not respond all the community was in the wrong. The posse comitatus could be raised by the king's county official, the sheriff, to chase a criminal. Anyone called upon to join it had to do so.
Law and order was very harsh in Medieval England. Those in charge of law and order believed that people would only learn how to behave properly if they feared what would happen to them if they broke the law. Even the ‘smallest’ offences had serious punishments. The authorities feared the poor simply because there were many more poor than rich and any revolt could be potentially damaging - as the Peasants Revolt of 1381 proved.
Medieval Ducking Stool
The ducking stool was used for punishing nagging wives and witches :)-
The dunking stool was used to identify witches and also serve as punishment for minor offenders, prostitutes and scolds. The dunking could last for an entire day or just a few seconds.
The stool often worked like a see saw, The offender would be strapped in to the seat and then lowered in to a pond, stream or river.
Witches, The woman would be ducked, usually in a river. If her body floated to the top when she died she would be confirmed as a witch, and if she sank she was innocent. :) but dead...
A similar device known as a Cuckling Stool was first recorded in Anglo Saxon times. It was often used for dishonest bakers and brewers of adulterated beer. The Cucking Stool came into use in the late 16th century. Those punished included scolding wives, women of immoral character or suspected of witchcraft and even quarrelsome married couples.
The punishment had been stopped by the 19th century.
<Pillory, In 1405 a law was passed requiring every town and village in the country, to display a set of stocks prominently in a public place. In which local rogues vagabonds could be publicly pilloried for crimes such as drunkenness, resisting arrest, drinking in church or breaking the Sabbath.
The Stocks were a mild medieval restraining device for minor offenders
They usually consist of two pieces of wood or iron, hinged at one corner with a lock at the other. The two planks have holes cut so that an offenders (Head and arms) or (ankles) were locked in place.
< Stocks have been used from Anglo-Saxon times until 1837 as a means of punishing minor offences. The offender was forced to sit with his ankles imprisoned for a specified number of hours as decreed by the magistrate. Unlike the pillory, his hands were free to defend himself from the crowd.
The crowd would throw rotten fruit, dead rats, stones and mud at those locked in these devices. Although manly meant for humiliation, many were seriously injured in these devices.
Medieval Trials
The Manorial Court (Trial by Jury) The manorial court dealt with all but the most serious crimes. It was held at various intervals during the year and all villagers had to attend or pay a fine. Men were placed in groups of 10 called atithing. Each tithing had to make sure that no member of their group broke the law. If a member of a tithing broke a law then the other members had to make sure that he went to court.
The Lord’s steward was in charge of the court. A jury of 12 men was chosen by the villagers. The jury had to collect evidence and decide whether the accused was guilty or not guilty and, if found guilty, what the punishment should be.
The King's Court (Trial by Ordeal) Serious crimes were heard by the King’s court. The accused faced trial by ordeal to decide whether they were guilty or not guilty. Ordeal by Fire The accused had to pick up a red hot iron bar and hold it while they walked 4 paces. Their hand was then bandaged. After 3 days they had to return to the court where the bandages were removed. If the wound was beginning to heal they were innocent but if the wound showed no sign of healing then they were pronounced Guilty. Ordeal by Water The accused had their hands and feet tied together. They were then thrown into water. If they floated they were guilty but if they sank they were innocent. Ordeal by Combat Noblemen would fight to the death in combat with their accuser. The winner of the battle would be considered to be in the right.
After 1215 Trial by Ordeal was replaced by Trial by Jury
Well this is tricky. So in a rural setting a manor is the police, and the court, on top of everything else.
And in an urban setting, well there were some courts. The urban component will be based on the biggest cities (and so may not represent the norm).
Any thoughts on how crime was dealt with in the big cities?
