In History, Year 6 have been learning all about crime and punishment throughout different periods in history. Yesterday, we focused on the Tudor period and learnt all about the different crimes and punishments which took place.

During this time, crimes were high because the cost of food had increased so there were a lot of thefts. We  learnt that it was a crime to travel and be homeless! The most serious crime was treason which means to try and take over the monarchy.

Then onto the gruesome part…! We looked at different punishments and what these did to the accused. These included the stocks, a drunkard’s cloak, a scold’s bridle, the rack (which stretched people’s limbs which led to dislocation!) and finally execution.

We also discovered that Henry VIII introduced the concept of a jury – where a group of people would decide if someone was guilty or not. This was different from the Anglo-Saxon times as they used trials by ordeal.

We are looking forward to learning more about crime and punishment next week!