Aim:
To aquaint children with Tudor methods of keeping law and order in the land.

Objective:
To make the children familiar with a variety of crimes and measures used to deal with them in Tudor times.  

Resources:
Replica Tudor coins, imitation stocks, flogging stick, etc.

Method:
Briefly discuss the way in which our country is policed at the present time and compare with Tudor system. Stress that there was no police force in Tudor times but in each county there was a sherriff, who had numerous responsibilities.

Some of the sherriff's duties included monitoring and maintaining roads, bridges, wages, prices and ale houses. Constables and 'officers of the watch' patrolled the streets in an effort to keep order - there was a constant fear of unrest and rebellion and many rogues, thieves (often known as 'cut-purses') vagabonds and robbers (Opportunity for optional role-play with the children, at this point).

Tell children that some of the criminal punishments given out in Tudor times seem harsh compared to twenty-first century standards.

Consider the nature of a selection of punishments used in Tudor times, including hanging, hanging drawing and quartering, flogging, fines, the birch, the stocks, the pillory, the scolds chair/ducking stool, the rack, prison, torture, beheading, branding, boiling alive and burning at the stake.

Explain what some of the following punishments involved and for which crimes they may have been used. Murderers - boiled alive or burned at the stake, robbers - one or both ears cut off and noses slit open, sheep-stealers - hands cut off, vagabonds - whipped in stocks/through the streets, scolds - ducked on ducking stool, rogues - put in pillory, often branded with red-hot iron.

Ask children to select from a number of cards detailing types of crimes committed in Tudor times and inform them which punishments the particular crimes would have deserved!

Discuss whether Tudor times or the present-day would be preferable to the children, bearing in mind relevant methods for dealing with crime.