Trial By Ordeal In England

The earliest form of British Common Law originated during the Anglo-Saxon period. During the time of King Aetherlberht I of Kent, about 600 A.D., law was beginning to be written down. As these laws became common-knowledge, it became a lot easier to convict someone of a crime. There were many ways to convict a person of a crime, and have them be punished for it. Sometimes, a person would be forced to pay per body part that was removed, or remove their own. Other times, the convicted would be forced to be put through a test. These tests made up a majority of Medieval Britain’s judicial system, and were called ‘trials by ordeal.’ Depending on the crime and social status of the convicted, their trial would likely be one of the three most common …show more content…
Each type of trial pertained to either a different type of crime, or a different rank in society. The most common type of ordeal was the ‘judgement of the glowing iron,’ which is also known as ‘trial by hot iron.’ Similarly, ‘trial by hot water’ was also used. The common folk in Britain during this time used a trial dubbed ‘trial by cold water.’ Trial by cold water is deemed a ‘peasant’s ordeal’ because it was very commonly used among the poorer Britons. In this trial, the defendant would drink holy water before being thrown into a body of water - or submerge themselves into a body of water considered holy, or was blessed by a priest. If the accused were able to float, they were considered guilty: that in no manner [may God] receive this man, if he be in any way guilty of the charge that is brought against him; by deed, namely, or by consent, or by knowledge, or in any way: but make him to swim above thee. And may no process be employed against thee, and no magic which may be able to conceal that (fact of his …show more content…
… Then the priest shall sprinkle holy water above the iron and shall say: "The blessing of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost descend upon this iron for the discerning of the right judgment of