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Trials by fire, man-prices, and no police – how fair was justice in Anglo-Saxon Britain?

This engaging third lesson in the Crime and Punishment unit explores how the Anglo-Saxons dealt with crime, justice, and community responsibility. With an emphasis on historical interpretation and critical thinking, pupils investigate how law and order changed after the Romans left — and whether justice became harsher or more communal.

Pupils will explore:
The role of tithings, hue and cry, and communal justice

Gruesome trials by ordeal and how guilt was “proven” by divine judgement

The wergild (man-price) system as an alternative to execution

Key historical skills: using and interpreting visual sources

What’s Included:
Engaging teaching PowerPoint with historical background, visuals, and tasks

Retrieval activity to compare Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and modern justice systems

Printable knowledge organiser with key vocabulary (trial by ordeal, wergild, tithing, hue and cry)

Primary source interpretation task – pupils analyse Anglo-Saxon images and artefacts

Discussion prompts and fairness debates on whether these punishments were just