Crimes

Disobeying the 10 commandments Witchcraft Murder Theft Heresy Treason Receiving stolen goods Working on Sundays Vagrancy

Punishments
Contrary to popular belief, witches were not burnt at the stake, because they were seen as daughters of the Devil, who lived in Hell (fire). Burning them would be sending them to their maker and giving them what they wanted. Most witches were burnt at the stake. If you were a farmer or slave you would be lashed with a whip for working on Sundays , if you were a monk or a clergyman you would be kept away from your brethren for 6 months. Vagrancy was originally punishable by whipping, in the 1540s punishable by hanging

3 ordeals
Ordeal by fire: The supposed offender was made to hold a red hot iron bar. They then had to walk 3 paces. Their hands were bandaged. After 3 days, their hands were checked for signs of healing. If there were signs of healing, they were innocent because God had intervened with a miracle. If the wound had not healed they were guilty. Ordeal by water: The accused had both their arms and legs tied together and were then thrown into a river. If they sunk, then they were innocent, but quite often drowned. If they floated they were guilty because they didnt have a soul.

Ordeal by combat: Ordeal by combat was used when noblemen were accused of a crime. The accused nobleman fought their accuser in a battle til the death. Whoever won was right, and therefore innocent. Ordeal by the cross: This ordeal was originally introduced so that priests did not have to compete in ordeal by combat. The accused priest and the accuser were made to stand with their hands held out by their sides. Whoevers arms dropped first was wrong. The ordeal was later banned because it was seen as a mockery of Christ. Ordeal by boiling oil: The accused was made to retrieve a stone from a pot of boiling oil, water or lead. The wound was then bandaged, as in ordeal by fire, and after 3 days if the wound showed signs of healing they were innocent, if it had festered the accused was guilty. Stocks were used when the offender was thought to have offended the public Death sentenced used for offences like murder, arson, forgery and robbery over the value of a shilling. Mainly death by hanging. Beheading was only used on those of noble or royal birth convicted of treason.

Torture methods
Pear of anguish pear shaped thing with 4 leaves were inserted in the anus for homosexuals, the mouth for liars and blasphemers and the vagina for a woman who conducted a miscarriage. The torturer then turned a handle which opened the leaves and either ripped the skin or mutilated the victim. The spider attached to a wall and then clawed onto a womans breast, while the torturer pulled the woman away from the wall, successfully ripping her breasts off. Usually used for women who conducted a miscarriage. Saw torture the offender was hung by his feet, a saw was drawn back and forth by the torturer, the sawing began at the crotch and was usually only continued up to the abdomen to prolong the time of death. But the offender was occasionally sawed completely in half. A way to extract a confession, was to lie a person underneath another offender and be forced to watch this torture take place. If they did not speak they would also be cut in half.

Court
Manorial Court The manorial court was used for all minor crimes. Unlike the Kings Court it used the trial by jury system. It was held frequently throughout the year. Everyone was made to attend or pay a fine. Men were placed in groups of ten. These were called tithings. The role of a tithing was to make sure that no man in the group broke the law. If they did then they had to make sure that man made it to court. The jury was made up of 12 people, who were chosen by the villagers. Their job was to decide whether the accused was innocent of guilty, if they were guilty they decided what the

punishment should be. The stocks were often used for people who were seen to have offended the public. Kings Court The Kings court dealt with serious crimes. These included treason, murder, witchcraft or heresy.