It’s the year 1000 and England’s population is thought to be somewhere between 1.7 and
2 million. About 90% of people live in the countryside. These people in rural areas live
in small, scattered hamlets, on farmsteads, making them very vulnerable to the effects
of warfare, bad weather, poor harvests and diseases.
1000-1066: Crime in Anglo-Saxon England
The king is the man responsible for making the law, with the help of his nobility. But
the church also has a strong influence on ideas about crime and punishment. Saxon kings
formally issue codes of law. With each new code new laws can be introduced, existing
laws changed and laws that are being ignored strengthened.
At a local level, law is enforced largely through the strong village communities and
family ties throughout English society.
There are three important trends in crime and punishment during the Anglo-Saxon period
to look out for:
The power and influence of the king over crime and punishment grows, with penalties increasingly
being decided by the king rather than local communities.
The role of the church also increases, and the church wants to give everyone who’s
committed a crime the opportunity to save their soul/
The use of punishments overall, including the use of capital punishment, increases.
Between 978 and 1016, the king of England is Ethelred. Throughout his reign there are
ongoing conflicts on the border between England and Scotland and some regions of the country
are occupied by viking settlers. In c1000 Ethelred attacks some viking settlements and
tries to stop the viking attacks by making alliances with Normandy, giving him more control
over his kingdom.
As the authority of English kings and the territory of England grows, it becomes more
accepted that the king is to make and enforce laws, where previously this had been done
by communities and relied a lot on local customs, constituting a change. Whilst the king relies
on advisors to help him govern the country, ultimately, it’s his duty to look after
the King’s Peace (up keeping law & order so people can go about their daily business)
Britain at this time has a roughly 3 tiered social structure of nobles, freemen and serfs.
It’s actually a little more complicated, but 3 tiers is all you really need to know
for this topic. All 3 classes are subject to the king’s authority, but the king rules
in close connection, nobles keep the system going by backing laws that protect their interest,
and in return for their support, the king grants them land.
Actions that threaten this social structure, such as a serf picking a fight with a noble,
are classed as crimes, with this type of crime being known a crime against authority.
In c1000 English towns are growing in importance, especially Hamwic (Southampton - where the
best people come from), Eoforwic (York) and Lundenwic (London). These towns grow because
of their settled populations, their trade connections with Europe and the use of coined
money, which makes trade much easier. These larger communities do mean, however, that
there are more opportunities to commit crimes against people and property. As not everyone
knows each other in towns, it makes it easier to get away with crimes. Moreover, there are
lots of trade goods and money, meaning there are plenty of things to steal.
Most people, however, still live in villages, where everyone knows one another, making it
easier to identify and catch a criminal. Local communities are expected to take collective
responsibility for upholding the law. Each area has a reeve (essentially a sheriff),
who carries out the decisions made by the local courts.
There are other populations based around church communities. In c1000 several great abbeys
are founded, as well as many smaller monasteries. As well as the monks and nuns, these communities
require daily workers to run the buildings and supply food and other necessities.
The Church is very powerful and it has a particular responsibility for moral crimes and crimes
against the church. The church gets to punish those who break church law, for instance,
by stealing church property.
1000-1066: Crime in Anglo-Saxon England
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