EDEXCEL GCSE HISTORY · PAPER 1 · CRIME & PUNISHMENT
Exam Practice - Anglo-Saxon England
Crime and Punishment in Anglo-Saxon England · Chapter 1: Crime and punishment in medieval England, c1000-1066 · Lesson 1 of 4 · 32 marks · 35 minutes
Name Date
Answer all questions. Use specific names, dates and examples in every answer.
Question 1 EXPLAIN ONE WAY [4 marks]
Explain one way in which the role of the community in law enforcement in Anglo-Saxon England was different from the role of the community in law enforcement in the period c1200-c1500.
Question 2 EXPLAIN WHY [12 marks]
Explain why the community played such an important role in law enforcement in Anglo-Saxon England. You may use the following in your answer: tithings; the hue and cry. You must also use information of your own.
Question 3 HOW FAR DO YOU AGREE? [16 marks]
"The main aim of punishment in Anglo-Saxon England was to deter people from committing crime." How far do you agree? Explain your answer. You may use the following in your answer: the stocks and pillory; wergild. You must also use information of your own. (16 marks, plus 4 for spelling, punctuation, grammar and specialist terminology)
Answers
Check your answer only once you have written one.
Question 1 [4 marks]
In Anglo-Saxon England the community did almost all of the work of law enforcement itself: through tithings and the hue and cry, villagers caught suspects and were fined if they failed. After 1200 the community was still involved, but the king's officials took on more of the work - for example, coroners from 1194 investigated suspicious deaths, and Keepers of the Peace (later Justices of the Peace) were appointed to keep order in each area. So the difference is that responsibility shifted from the community towards royal officials.
▸ A valid difference identified 1-2 marks
▸ Supported with specific knowledge of both periods 3-4 marks
Question 2 [12 marks]
One reason was that there was no police force, and the king had very few officials. The reeve could not patrol every village, so the only people who could watch for crime were the villagers themselves. Tithings made this work: every man over twelve belonged to a group of ten who were responsible for each other, and if one broke the law the others had to bring him to court or pay a fine. That gave everyone a financial reason to keep watch. A second reason was that communities were small and close-knit. In a village where everyone knew everyone, a stranger or a thief was quickly noticed, which is why the hue and cry worked: once the alarm was raised, every man had to stop work and chase the suspect, and the whole village could be fined if it failed to join in. A third reason, beyond the stimulus, was the way trials worked. Courts met in the open in the hundred and the shire, and guilt was often decided by oath-helpers - neighbours who swore to the accused's good character. Justice therefore relied on local knowledge of who was trustworthy. Together these show that the community was not just helping the king's justice - it was the system.
▸ Level 1 (1-3) A simple or general answer
▸ Level 2 (4-6) Some explanation of one or more reasons, with some knowledge
▸ Level 3 (7-9) A developed explanation linked to the question, with accurate knowledge
▸ Level 4 (10-12) An analytical explanation of several reasons, with knowledge that goes beyond the stimulus points
Question 3 [16 marks]
On the one hand, many punishments were designed to deter. The stocks and pillory were used in public so that the whole community saw what happened to wrongdoers. Mutilation - cutting off a hand, nose or ear - left a permanent mark that warned others, and hanging for treason and repeat theft showed the price of the most serious crimes. On the other hand, other aims mattered as much or more. Wergild was compensation paid to the victim's family, set by the victim's rank; its main purpose was to prevent blood feuds by giving the family something other than revenge. Fines were also about paying back the victim and, increasingly, the king. Retribution mattered too: mutilation and execution were seen as a fitting punishment for the crime. Overall, deterrence was an important aim, especially for public punishments, but for the most serious everyday crime - violence between families - the main aim was compensation to keep the peace. The best answer recognises that the aim depended on the type of crime.
▸ Level 1 (1-4) A simple or generalised answer
▸ Level 2 (5-8) Some analysis, with a judgement that is asserted
▸ Level 3 (9-12) Analysis of both sides with accurate knowledge and a supported judgement
▸ Level 4 (13-16) Sustained analysis, knowledge beyond the stimulus, and a clear, justified judgement
▸ SPaG (4) Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar, with specialist terms such as wergild and tithing