Crimes and law making in Anglo-Saxon England

Crime has always been a feature of human society, but the crimes committed in Anglo-Saxon England were different and less numerous than those committed today. Types of crime in Anglo-Saxon England included drinking too much, insulting your neighbour, stealing, murder and even ploughing someone else’s land.

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Watch historian Alice Loxton give a summary of crime and punishment in Medieval Britain.

Anglo-Saxon society

To understand crime and punishment in Anglo-Saxon England, it is necessary to understand the structure of the at the time.

A hierarchy diagram of the feudal system. The king is at the top, followed by the nobility, then the knights, and the peasants are at the bottom.

Role	Description
The king	The king was the most important person in Anglo-Saxon England. He controlled the land and decided who he would give it to. The main roles of the king were to defend the country from an attack and to protect the people with law and order (the King’s Peace.) Anglo-Saxon England was Christian. The people believed that their king had been chosen by God.
The nobles	The nobles were important people in society who supported and advised the king. The nobles were given land by the king. In return, they gave the king homage and sent knights to fight in his army during times of war. A noble was expected to keep law and order in their lands.
The Church	People in Anglo-Saxon society were Christian. They believed in heaven and hell, and there was a priest in every village. People were expected to attend church and live by its rules. The Church had its own courts for clergy, or churchmen. It offered a place of sanctuary for people who were accused of committing a crime.
The peasants	Most people in Anglo-Saxon England were peasants, also known as serfs, who lived in villages and farmed the land. Peasants spent some of the week farming the land for the local lord and the rest of the week working on their own land. The people in the village knew one another well and were expected to look out for one another.

Role	The king
Description	The king was the most important person in Anglo-Saxon England. He controlled the land and decided who he would give it to. The main roles of the king were to defend the country from an attack and to protect the people with law and order (the King’s Peace.) Anglo-Saxon England was Christian. The people believed that their king had been chosen by God.

Role	The nobles
Description	The nobles were important people in society who supported and advised the king. The nobles were given land by the king. In return, they gave the king homage and sent knights to fight in his army during times of war. A noble was expected to keep law and order in their lands.

Role	The Church
Description	People in Anglo-Saxon society were Christian. They believed in heaven and hell, and there was a priest in every village. People were expected to attend church and live by its rules. The Church had its own courts for clergy, or churchmen. It offered a place of sanctuary for people who were accused of committing a crime.

Role	The peasants
Description	Most people in Anglo-Saxon England were peasants, also known as serfs, who lived in villages and farmed the land. Peasants spent some of the week farming the land for the local lord and the rest of the week working on their own land. The people in the village knew one another well and were expected to look out for one another.

Crimes in Anglo-Saxon England

The crimes committed in Anglo-Saxon England can be categorised into crimes against the person, against property and against authority.

Crimes against the person included:

murder
assault
insulting a neighbour
public disorder

The most common crimes were against property. These included:

petty theft
ploughing someone else’s land
coins

Poaching was considered a and many villages did not punish people who did it.

Crimes against authority included:

betraying your lord

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Crime and punishment in medieval England, c.1000-c.1500 - EdexcelCrimes and law making in Anglo-Saxon England