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 starter activity
How much can you remember about Roman law & order? You have 2 minutes
to answer 5 questions plus one extension question
Quiz
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How would soldiers be punished if they lost a battle?
What were the people who patrolled Roman streets
called?
What was the punishment for stealing from a temple?
How were slaves often punished if they attempted to
kill their master?
What were Roman laws known as?
What were the strengths/weaknesses of Roman
law?
Quiz
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How would soldiers be punished if they lost a battle?
Decimated
What were the people who patrolled Roman streets called?
Vigiles
What was the punishment for stealing from a temple?
Execution
How were slaves often punished if they attempted to kill their
master?
They were crucified
What were Roman laws known as?
Twelve Tables
What were the strengths/weaknesses of Roman law?
 Key words:
wergild hue & cry tithing
Who made the laws in
Anglo-Saxon England?
 Learning objectives
TBAT explain how AS were
compensated, how suspects were
caught & tried
To compare justice under Romans &
AS
 Your task
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Work in pairs. Watch the clip from Tony Robinson’s
TV series ‘Crime & Punishment’ and answer the
questions (including the extension questions if you
can) on your sheet.
Picture of injured
man
Study this picture
showing different types
of wergild. You have 2
minutes to recall the
information, and then you
will be given a team
challenge.
What are the problems
with this sort of
compensation culture?
What would you pay for
the following:
Picture of injured
man
Lost hearing
Lost eye
Broken teeth
Ear
Rib broken
Arm broken
Lost thumb
Belly wound
Lost finger
Leg broken
Lost foot
1 point for each correct
label you stick on your
team member
 Your task
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Write a definition of ‘wergild’.
Study Sources A & C on p.12 in Wilkes and note
down at least 2 typical punishments for:
Theft
 Violence
 Murder
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Would you rather live under the laws of
Ethelbert or Alfred? Why?
Note the reasons why you think laws were
written down by the Anglo-Saxons
This building in Bradford –on-Avon is
one of the oldest prisons (or ‘Blind
houses’) in Britain. Why do you think it
is so rare?
 Your task
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Study the information in Dawson, p.23 and take
notes to answer these questions:
What did Anglo-Saxons use instead of police
 How were suspects tried?
 What types of courts were there?
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How similar / different is all this from
Roman times?
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Tithing – all males over 12, group of 10; raise
the ‘hue & cry’; take suspect to court
Trial by jury – local men; character witness
swore an oath –compurgation
Types of courts – Hundred (minor crimes,
monthly); Shire (more serious, twice yearly);
Royal (king in charge, serious, high status
crimes)
 Your task
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Write a 60 second advert for an Anglo-Saxon
compensation firm. Your advert must include
references to:
3 different claims
How you will catch any criminals involved
How they will be put on trial
 Success criteria
Satisfactory
Getting better
Wow factor
Includes a limited
number of key points
Includes most, but not all Includes references to 3
of the key points
or more types of claims
Uses occasional key
terms
Uses some key terms
from today’s lesson but
could include more
Some, but not many
examples are drawn
from research
Includes references to
Has some of the features the system of trial by jury
of a claims advert
Confident use of
technical vocabulary,
e.g. compurgation,
wergild
Includes references to
the hue & cry
Has many of the features
of a claims advert
 Extension task
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Visit the statue of King Ethelbert in Canterbury
– the founder of Anglo-Saxon law. Write factoid
on his life, and tell us more about the laws he
introduced and the impact of his reign on the
justice system of England
 Plenary
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Explain the meaning of today’s key words:
wergild, hue & cry, tithing
How were suspects caught under Anglo-Saxon
laws?
How were they tried?
How similar / different was Anglo-Saxon justice
compared with the Romans?
Which was more important the Church or the
King in improving justice?