later Middle Ages

Crime in the later Middle Ages 

1. The growth of towns, like London (estimated population: 30,000) and York (estimated population: 11,000) meant there were more opportunities for crime, leading to a more centralised approach for dealing with crime.  

2. The Black Death hit England in 1348, and so many people died that there were fewer works available, which meant the surviving peasants could demand higher wages. The Statute of Labourers of 1351 introduced a maximum wage and made it a crime to ask for more. It also became a crime to move to a new area to look for a better paid job.  

3. A small number of people became questioning the practices of the Church, for example wanting the Bible translated into English: they became known as the Lollards. Laws against heresy (holding a different set of beliefs to the established religion) were introduced in 1382, 1401 and 1414.  

Law enforcement in the later Middle Ages 

1. The role of government in controlling crime increased.  

2. In 1166, Henry II reorganised the courts and set up prisons for those who were accused and waiting for trial. These changes were known as the Assize of Clarendon.  

3. Henry II ordered royal justices, called Justices in Eyre, to visit each county twice a year to hear the most serious criminal cases.  

4. Standard written instructions were issued to local sheriffs, so systems became more uniform across the country.  

5. However, there were some continuities. Townspeople were still expected to help catch offenders, and towns were divided into areas called wards to help with this.  

6. The local officials who had been called ‘thythingmen’ during the Saxon period came to be known as ‘parish constables’.  

7. In 1194, Richard I introduced coroners to investigate situations where there was a suspicious death.  

8. In 1195, Richard I appointed some knights as keepers of the ‘king’s peace’ in areas that were seen as unruly. In 1327, Edward II extended this system to all areas. By 1361, these had become known as Justices of the Peace (JPs) and met four times a year to carry out their duties.  

9. The Heresy Law of 1414 gave JPs the power to arrest suspect heretics.  

Punishment in the later Middle Ages 

1. In 1401, a law was introduced to say heretics (those who committed heresy) could be burned at the stake.  

2. A new punishment was introduced for the crime of high treason: the traitor would be hanged, drawn and quartered. After death, his limbs would be severed and transported to different areas of the country for display.