Crime and Punishment
Saxon law was very primitive. There were no prisons or police to make people keep the law. The Saxons used fear.
If a man was wronged or killed, the weregeld could be clarimed or vengeance taken. Likely crimes were petty theft (a few carrots), theft (an animal), assult (a fight), adultery, and murder. Life was very different in Saxon times. Starvation was never very far away and most families had many children. The church encouraged peaceful settlement but this could not always be done. Regular village meetings were held on the village green called moot folks to deal with law breaking. If a person was accused, then he had to prove his innocence. He then had to produce an oath helper to swear his innocence. If a bishop was the oath helper, the accused was released. If he only had a lower class person to support him he had to be tried by ordeal..
The village priest conducted trial by ordeal because it was believed that God determined guilt or innocence using this method.
There were two main types of trial by ordeal: 1. Water Trial The accused had to plunge his hand into boiling water and pull out a stone from the pot 2. Trial by Fire The accused had to take an iron rod from the fire and carry it 3 metres In both cases the hand would be bound up and the accused returned to his hut for three days. When he returned, if his hand had healed, he was considered to be innocent and released. If the hand had festered, the accused was found guilty. Witchcraft
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Below is the script for a play that the class can all act out. Click on the image for access.
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