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Tudor Crime and Punishment Trivia Quiz

Tudor punishment was very cruel, but interesting, so I thought I'd do a quiz about it. I hope you like it.

A multiple-choice quiz by sophie38. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
sophie38

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
119,416

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1950

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Roughly how many Justices of the Peace (JPs) were there in Elizabethan England and Wales? Hint

600

800

500

700

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. What was the Tudor nickname for constables? Hint

Coppers

'The old bill'

Nickers

Beadles

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Question 3 of 10

3. What would happen to dishonest shopkeepers? Hint

They were whipped

They were hanged

They were put in the stocks

They were beheaded

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Question 4 of 10

4. What happened when England's population rose? Hint

All of these

There was a rise in the crime rate

There were more deaths

There was a rise in unemployment

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Question 5 of 10

5. Where were criminals usually hanged? Hint

In front of their own homes

In a churchyard

In the market place

In the countryside

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Question 6 of 10

6. In 1598 how many people were hanged in Devon? Hint

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Question 7 of 10

7. What happened to vagrants in Tudor times if they were caught? Hint

They were whipped and hanged

They were whipped and put in prison

They were whipped and sent back to their place of birth

They were whipped and put in the stocks

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. In Tudor times what class of people were beheaded instead of being hanged? Hint

Noblemen

The landowners

The poor

Dishonest shopkeepers

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Question 9 of 10

9. Accused witches were dunked into a river, to see if they were innocent or guilty. If they floated, they were innocent.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. When were the most women burnt for witchcraft? Hint

1580s

1560s

1570s

1590s

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Roughly how many Justices of the Peace (JPs) were there in Elizabethan England and Wales?

Answer: 700

Justices of the Peace (local magistrates), or JPs, were the Tudor policemen and judges rolled into one. They tried in local courts, but also calmed down rioters, and settled disputes between servants and masters and other minor civil disputes. Other duties included setting the price of bread.

2. What was the Tudor nickname for constables?

Answer: Beadles

They were the law keepers, alongside the justices and watchmen.

3. What would happen to dishonest shopkeepers?

Answer: They were put in the stocks

When put in the stocks, local people pelted them with rubbish and rotten eggs!

4. What happened when England's population rose?

Answer: All of these

Many people were out of work, and were forced out of their villages. The rise in population exceeded increased output from agriculture for most of the 16th century.

5. Where were criminals usually hanged?

Answer: In the market place

People could be hanged for a wide range of crimes, such as forging coins, and theft above five shillings in value.

6. In 1598 how many people were hanged in Devon?

Answer: 74

Many other people were hanged elsewhere around the country. (Until the 1820s the English law relied very heavily on the death penalty and, later, on forced labour in the colonies. Very little use was made of long terms of imprisonment).

7. What happened to vagrants in Tudor times if they were caught?

Answer: They were whipped and sent back to their place of birth

Vagrants were forbidden by law from wandering from one place to another in search of charity as this often involved them becoming a burden on places that had no legal responsibility to maintain them.

8. In Tudor times what class of people were beheaded instead of being hanged?

Answer: Noblemen

Beheading was considered less degrading than hanging, and it usually killed more quickly. When Elizabeth I died in 1603, few could have imagined that within a mere half century a future king, Charles I, would be publicly beheaded as a 'traitor'.

9. Accused witches were dunked into a river, to see if they were innocent or guilty. If they floated, they were innocent.

Answer: False

If they floated, they were considered guilty and burnt at the stake. If they sank, they were innocent but died anyway, by drowning. Either way, they perished.

10. When were the most women burnt for witchcraft?

Answer: 1580s

Witches were mostly innocent women. People believed that the devil gave them special powers, and that they could harm people just by looking at them.

Source: Author sophie38

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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