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In the medieval period, the teachings of the Church influenced what was considered a crime. Several factors contributed to the causes of crime and the types of crime committed. These included the difficulties faced by many people in making enough money to provide for their basic needs, the way society was organised, and views about women and the poor.

Serious crimes

Serious crimes were crimes that could be punished by death. They were called felonies and included:

• homicide
• arson
• burglary - illegally entering a property with the intention of stealing
• robbery - stealing from a person using force or the threat of force
• receiving stolen goods
• theft of goods worth more than 12 pence - the equivalent of around three weeks’ wages for a labourer in the 13th century
• treason
• counterfeiting coins - producing forged coins

Most serious crimes were non-violent. The vast majority were linked to theft.

After 1351, the definition of treason was more clearly defined under an act of Parliament. It included the murder of a husband by his wife, as men were thought to be the head of the household. Counterfeiting coins also came under the crime of treason.

Homicide

Homicide rates were high. In a study of 16,000 trials across eight counties in England between 1300 and 1348, it was found that homicide made up around 18 per cent of the trials. However, the definition of homicide was broad and included:

• murder
• suicide
• accidental murder
• justifiable murder, such as killing someone in self-defence

Suicide was considered a serious crime because the Church taught that it was a sin, as only God could decide when a person’s life should end.

In addition, with no real medical care, injuries soon turned into deaths when wounds became infected.

Outlaw gangs

Gangs of outlaws operated throughout the medieval period and were feared by most people. They lived in forest areas. They ambushed travellers and stole from the homes of anyone they could. Poorer villagers were more frequent targets because their houses were less well protected. Churches were often robbed because they contained many valuable gold and silver items inside.

Outlaw gangs often:

• threatened to burn people’s homes down if they didn’t hand over goods or money
• used violence or the threat of violence
• murdered their victims

Petty crimes

Petty crimes were less serious crimes and involved actions such as:

• theft of goods worth less than 12 pence
• being in debt
• giving someone a minor injury or damaging their property

At certain times the Church also outlawed things that it considered morally bad, such as:

• gambling
• playing football
• acts of homosexuality, which the Church said was forbidden by the Bible

Causes of crime

• Anger - Goal records from the medieval period show a large proportion of homicide cases were linked to arguments.
• Hunger - The same records reveal a close relationship between the price of bread and crime. When the price of bread went up, so did the number of trials being held. The terrible run of harvests leading to the famine of 1315-1316 meant more people got into debt and more people committed theft.
• War - In the 15th century, especially during the Wars of the Roses, there were feuds between rival nobles and knights. They built up their own private armies of men known as retainers. The retainers were then used to control the lord’s local area, giving the lord almost completely free rein to do as he wished. There are reports of knights and nobles abusing their power by committing crimes such as murder, rape and robbery.