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Crime and Punishment in Medieval England

History · Medieval Times · ages 9-11

Name ______________________ Date ____________

In the trial by combat described here, how did the court choose which side to accept as right?
- It accepted the side that won the fight
- It chose the side that paid the biggest fine
- It accepted the side that drew the longest straw
A made-up medieval English court uses the boiling-water ordeal described in the lesson. A woman is accused of stealing bread. What action is part of that ordeal?
- Fighting the accuser before the watching court
- Taking a stone from a pot of boiling water
- Sitting with feet held in wooden stocks
Which description correctly matches stocks and a pillory with the body parts they held and their public purpose?
- Stocks held the head and hands; a pillory held the feet to shame people in public
- Stocks held the head and feet; a pillory held the hands to shame people in public
- Stocks held the feet; a pillory held the head and hands to shame people in public
In a made-up case set when ordeals were used in England, a man accused of poaching a deer carries hot iron. After three days, a priest judges his wound to be healing cleanly. How is the result understood?
- As a sign from God that the man is innocent
- As a sign that he must repeat the hot-iron ordeal
- As a sign that his accuser has won a trial by combat
A person held in a medieval English prison had always already been found guilty.
Circle one: True False
Market traders report thefts in a medieval English county. Which official served the king there and helped keep order?
- The priest, who checked ordeal wounds
- The sheriff, who was the king's county officer
- The blacksmith, who made metal tools in a village
A medieval court orders a wealthy person and a poor person to pay the same fine. Tom says paying it must be equally easy for both. What does he overlook?
- A poor person may find the same fine harder to pay
- Both must have equal money left after paying
- The same fine must take the same share of each person's money
Which comparison between medieval England and England today is accurate?
- Medieval courts used witnesses, while courts today use ordeal results
- Medieval courts used evidence, while courts today use combat results
- Courts today do not use ordeals or combat to decide guilt

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Crime and Punishment in Medieval England W1-mt_3tQXH9GwIa-s1

It accepted the side that won the fight · Trial by combat used a fight to settle the dispute. The court accepted the winning side as right. Winning did not prove what had happened.
Taking a stone from a pot of boiling water · The described boiling-water ordeal involved taking a stone from boiling water. Fighting belongs to trial by combat. Stocks were a punishment.
Stocks held the feet; a pillory held the head and hands to shame people in public · Stocks held the feet, and a pillory held the head and hands. Public use let other people see the punishment and was meant to shame the person.
As a sign from God that the man is innocent · People using this ordeal treated clean healing as a sign from God of innocence. The wound did not establish whether the man had taken the deer.
False · Medieval prisons could hold people while they waited for trial. Being imprisoned did not always mean a court had already found the person guilty.
The sheriff, who was the king's county officer · The sheriff was the king's officer in a county and helped keep order. Local people helped too; the sheriff did not personally make every arrest.
A poor person may find the same fine harder to pay · Equal payments can have different effects. A poor person may struggle to afford a fine that a wealthy person can pay more easily.
Courts today do not use ordeals or combat to decide guilt · Medieval courts could hear witnesses, and some also used ordeals or combat. Courts in England today judge cases using evidence without those physical tests.