EDEXCEL GCSE HISTORY · PAPER 1 · CRIME & PUNISHMENT
Exam Practice - The Later Middle Ages
Crime and Punishment in the Later Middle Ages · Chapter 1: Crime and punishment in medieval England, c1200-c1500 · Lesson 4 of 4 · 32 marks · 40 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 law enforcement in the period c1200-c1500 was similar to law enforcement in Anglo-Saxon England.
Question 2 EXPLAIN WHY [12 marks]
Explain why there were changes in the definition of crime in the period c1200-c1500. You may use the following in your answer: the Black Death; the Lollards. You must also use information of your own.
Question 3 HOW FAR DO YOU AGREE? [16 marks]
"The role of the authorities in law enforcement changed very little in the period c1000-c1500." How far do you agree? Explain your answer. You may use the following in your answer: the hue and cry; Justices of the Peace. 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 both periods the local community was still expected to help catch criminals. In Anglo-Saxon England every man had to join the hue and cry when a crime was reported. In the later Middle Ages the hue and cry was still used and was reinforced by the Statute of Winchester in 1285, which ordered every man to keep weapons so that he could join the chase.
▸ A valid similarity identified 1-2 marks
▸ Supported with specific knowledge of both periods 3-4 marks
Question 2 [12 marks]
One reason was the Black Death of 1348-49, which killed around a third of the population. The labour shortage meant peasants could demand higher wages or move to work for a different lord. Landowners feared losing control, so the Statute of Labourers of 1351 made it a crime to ask for or pay more than the wages of 1346, or to leave your lord. A new crime was created to protect the landowners' position. A second reason was the threat of heresy. The Lollards, followers of John Wycliffe, criticised the Church and wanted the Bible in English. Because the Church and the king worked closely together, challenging the Church was seen as a threat to order, and in 1401 De Heretico Comburendo made heresy a crime punishable by burning at the stake. A third reason, beyond the stimulus, was the desire of kings to protect their own authority. The Treason Act of 1351 set out exactly what counted as high treason, such as plotting the king's death, and made it punishable by hanging, drawing and quartering. In each case the definition of crime changed because those in power faced a new threat.
▸ 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, the community remained central throughout. The hue and cry was used from Anglo-Saxon times and was still being reinforced in 1285 by the Statute of Winchester. Tithings continued after 1066, local courts continued to hear most cases, and there was still no police force by 1500. Local people still did much of the work of catching criminals. On the other hand, the authorities took on a much bigger role. The Normans made crime an offence against the king - fines went to the king rather than the victim - and strengthened the sheriff. Henry II's Assize of Clarendon (1166) sent royal judges around the country. Coroners were appointed from 1194, Keepers of the Peace from 1195, and Justices of the Peace from 1361. After 1215 trial by jury in the king's courts replaced the ordeal. Overall, the methods of catching criminals changed little, because the community still did most of it, but the authorities' role in organising and running justice grew a great deal. By 1500 royal officials, not the village, controlled trials and punishment. So the statement is only partly true.
▸ 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 coroner and Justice of the Peace