Pearson Edexcel · GCSE · History

    Course version: 1HI0 · Version from Sept 2016

    C1000–c1500: Crime and punishment in medieval England - 2 The nature of…

    Full specification wording

    Option 10: c1000–c1500: Crime and punishment in medieval England - 2 The nature of law enforcement and punishment: The role of the authorities and local communities in law enforcement in Anglo-Saxon, Norman and later medieval England, including tithings, the hue and cry, and the parish constable.

    Throughout the medieval period, law enforcement relied on local communities rather than a professional police force.

    Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 1HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 1 of 2
    • 4 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    Throughout the medieval period, law enforcement relied on local communities rather than a professional police force. In Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, the tithing system required groups of ten men to be responsible for each other's behaviour; if one broke the law, the others had to bring him to court. The 'hue and cry' was another community duty, where anyone witnessing a crime had to raise the alarm, and the village was obligated to hunt down the suspect. In later medieval England, the role of authorities expanded slightly with the introduction of the parish constable. This unpaid, part-time official was nominated by the community to lead the hue and cry and keep the peace, representing a shift towards more formal local policing.

    What earns the marks

    • Describe the tithing system as a form of collective responsibility in Anglo-Saxon and Norman law enforcement.
    • Explain the 'hue and cry' as a mandatory community response to catching criminals.
    • Identify the parish constable as an unpaid, part-time law enforcement officer introduced in later medieval England.
    • Compare the heavy reliance on the local community in the early medieval period with the gradual introduction of appointed officials later on.
    • Explain that there was no professional, paid police force during this entire period, making community participation essential.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Describing the parish constable as a modern, paid police officer.

      Put it right: Emphasise that the parish constable was an unpaid, part-time role filled by local men for a year.

    • Confusing tithings with the hue and cry.

      Put it right: Distinguish tithings as a preventative group of ten men, while the hue and cry was the active pursuit of a criminal by the whole village.

    • Stating that the Normans completely abolished Anglo-Saxon law enforcement.

      Put it right: Note that the Normans kept effective community systems like tithings and the hue and cry.

    Exam tips

    • Emphasise the concept of 'collective responsibility' when discussing tithings and the hue and cry.
    • Use the parish constable to demonstrate change over time in later medieval law enforcement.
    • When evaluating law enforcement, highlight that its effectiveness depended entirely on the willingness of the local community to participate.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the Option 10: c1000–c1500: Crime and punishment in medieval England - 2 The nature of law enforcement and punishment: The role of the authorities and local communities in law enforcement in Anglo-Saxon, Norman and later medieval England, including tithings, the hue and cry, and the parish constable. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    In medieval English law enforcement, what was the 'hue and cry'?

    Listen

    Throughout the medieval period, law enforcement relied on local communities rather than a professional police force. In Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, the tithing system required groups of ten men to be responsible for each other's behaviour; if one broke the law, the others had to bring him to court. The 'hue and cry' was another community duty, where anyone witnessing a crime had to raise the alarm, and the village was obligated to hunt down the suspect. In later medieval England, the role of authorities expanded slightly with the introduction of the parish constable. This unpaid, part-time official was nominated by the community to lead the hue and cry and keep the peace, representing a shift towards more formal local policing. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Describe the tithing system as a form of collective responsibility in Anglo-Saxon and Norman law enforcement. Explain the 'hue and cry' as a mandatory community response to catching criminals. Identify the parish constable as an unpaid, part-time law enforcement officer introduced in later medieval England. Compare the heavy reliance on the local community in the early medieval period with the gradual introduction of appointed officials later on. A common slip: Describing the parish constable as a modern, paid police officer. Instead, Emphasise that the parish constable was an unpaid, part-time role filled by local men for a year. Exam tip: Emphasise the concept of 'collective responsibility' when discussing tithings and the hue and cry.

    See it

    A flowchart with three parallel strands feeding into one final point. The first strand begins with a crime being committed, then the hue and cry being raised, then the village hunting down the suspect. The second strand begins with a tithing, a group of ten men, who are responsible for each other's behaviour, and if one breaks the law the others bring him to court. The third strand begins with the parish constable, an unpaid, part-time official nominated by the community, who leads the hue and cry and keeps the peace. All three strands lead to the final point that there was no professional, paid police force.
    Shows how the tithing, the hue and cry and the parish constable shared law enforcement between local communities and appointed officials, with no professional police force.

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    Tithing

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Hue and cry

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Parish constable

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Collective responsibility

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    See every definition
    Tithing
    A group of ten men who were responsible for each other's behaviour, and if one broke the law the others had to bring him to court.
    Hue and cry
    A community duty where anyone witnessing a crime had to raise the alarm, and the village was obligated to hunt down the suspect.
    Parish constable
    An unpaid, part-time official nominated by the community to lead the hue and cry and keep the peace in later medieval England.
    Collective responsibility
    The idea that groups such as tithings and the whole village shared responsibility for behaviour and for catching criminals.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A flowchart with three parallel strands feeding into one final point. The first strand begins with a crime being committed, then the hue and cry being raised, then the village hunting down the suspect. The second strand begins with a tithing, a group of ten men, who are responsible for each other's behaviour, and if one breaks the law the others bring him to court. The third strand begins with the parish constable, an unpaid, part-time official nominated by the community, who leads the hue and cry and keeps the peace. All three strands lead to the final point that there was no professional, paid police force.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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    Test your understanding of Option 10: c1000–c1500: Crime and punishment in medieval England - 2 The nature of law enforcement and punishment: The role of the authorities and local communities in law enforcement in Anglo-Saxon, Norman and later medieval England, including tithings, the hue and cry, and the parish constable.

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