What event does this tapestry depict?

What was the impact of the Norman Conquest upon law and order in England?

By the end of this section you should be able to… Understand the changes to law and order introduced by the Normans. Analyse why the legal system changed under the Normans. Explain the attitudes that influenced Norman approaches to punishment.

As William seized his grip on his new country, he simultaneously introduced new laws whilst keeping established Anglo-Saxon laws. Using the information sheet, you should categorise each statement. Does the statement show continuity? (Things staying the same) or does it show change? On the sheet you have been given use two colours to indentify change and continuity.

Stretch yourself: Grade B-A*= Choose three of the statements and try to explain why you think William decided to use/introduce this. E.g. I think William kept the use of tithings because there was no other effective ways of policing at this time.

He set out to search the forests and remote mountains, stopping at nothing to hunt down the rebels hidden there. He cut down many and destroyed homes. Nowhere else had William shown such cruelty. His fury was blind and he punished the innocent. Source A: An account of William’s treatment of northern rebels, written by a Norman monk in 1130. He made the country safe. Any person could travel through his kingdom without injury, with his purse full of gold. No one dared strike another, no matter how much he was wronged… William was very tough and violent, so that no one dared disobey him. Source B: Written shortly after King William’s death in a huge series of books called The Anglo-Saxon chronicle.

This is how you could set out your work: Struggling? This is how you could set out your work: From source A we can learn that…… The source states….. This shows that….. The higher level answers will be clearly explained and written in detail.

What can we learn from the following sources about the way William ruled England?

How far do you think law and order changed under the Normans? Total Change No Change

Key features of Norman Law and Order. Change or continuity? Use two colours to highlight changes and continuities within the Norman system of law and order. Key: Change Continuity William set up Church courts to deal with religious or moral crimes. These included adultery, sex before marriage as well as not following the practices of the church. William introduced the Forest Laws. Trees could not be cut down for fuel or for building. People in the forests were forbidden to own dogs or bows and arrows. Even if the deer ate their crops, they could not do anything because the punishment for killing a deer was to be blinded. He kept many of the old Anglo-Saxon laws. He was trying to show the English that, as their rightful King that he would respect their laws and customs. On the whole, trial by ordeal remained in use. However, William added Trial by Combat. The Normans believed that God would show guilt through the result of combat between the accuser and the accused. William got rid of the old compensation system called Wergild and ordered that fines for breaking laws should be paid to him rather than the victim.

For minor crimes, the main punishments stayed the same as those in the Anglo-Saxon period – fines, whipping, or public humiliation in the stocks or pillory. Tithings and the system of hue and cry all continued. County courts were set up to deal with more serious crimes. With regard to the importance of the King in making law and enforcing it on the whole country, law under the Normans was similar to that established in Anglo-Saxon England, although William’s authority was greater. Most ordinary people’s experience of the law continued to be with their local manor court where the lord acted as judge, and the jury was made up of heads of tithings. Right of Sanctuary: A criminal who could get to the sanctuary of a church could not be arrested. If he confessed his crime, he would be allowed to leave the country. Mutilations became much more common and the idea of paying compensation to victims began to decline.

This is how you could set out your work: What can we learn from the following sources about the way William ruled England? He set out to search the forests and remote mountains, stopping at nothing to hunt down the rebels hidden there. He cut down many and destroyed homes. Nowhere else had William shown such cruelty. His fury was blind and he punished the innocent. Source A: An account of William’s treatment of northern rebels, written by a Norman monk in 1130. He made the country safe. Any person could travel through his kingdom without injury, with his purse full of gold. No one dared strike another, no matter how much he was wronged… William was very tough and violent, so that no one dared disobey him. Source B: Written shortly after King William’s death in a huge series of books called The Anglo-Saxon chronicle. This task requires you to use inference. Don’t simply repeat parts of the text in your answer. Read between the lines. What impression do you get about William’s rule? Choose one of the sources and try to write two supported inferences for each. Remember – supported means you must provide evidence from the source to support your point of view! This is how you could set out your work: From source A we can learn that…… The source states….. This shows that….. The higher level answers will be clearly explained and written in detail.