Everdog: Tale of the First Female Knight

Chapter 31 - Sewing, Sutures, Stitches

During the medieval times, there was no police force. Law enforcement or medieval punishment was usually held within the community or by the manorial court and this was for lesser offenses. For crimes of treason or more severity, it was heard by the King's court.

A lord was responsible for any crime committed on his land and criminals were brought to the castle's prison. In bigger cities, criminals caught in the outskirts and in the further parts of town were sent to jailhouses out of convenience. They will complete their sentence or punishment there instead of travelling all the way to the lord's manor or castle.

Sir Lee was in charge of inspections for these jailhouses and he wrote monthly reports of the occurring events to Lord Bullock. On a monthly basis, there were reports of theft and vagrancy, which was the crime of being jobless or homeless. It sounded ridiculous that it was considered breaking the law if a person was jobless or homeless, but soliciting, scavenging, and sleeping on the streets caused disturbances to the businesses and to the townspeople.

Other common crimes were not working hard enough and drunkenness. The punishment for not working hard was flogging and for drunkenness was being put in the stocks or pillory. Stocks chained people by the ankles while pillory chained them by the head and the wrists. Serious crimes like murder was given death penalty by hanging or beheading. For treason, the culprit will be hung and cut up alive. The pieces of the body will then be sent to different cities and put on public display.

Today, the knights and the squires were visiting the jailhouse located off centered of the market square. It was the same prison that the knights brought the lad to when the lad was captured. In the jailhouse, there were underground prisons, temporary cells, flogging stations, stocks, and pillory for all the common crimes that come in from the day to day basis.

"Sir Lee, a few days ago we brought in a man who was drunk and assaulted another man in the town square. He has spent two night at the stocks and will be released this afternoon." The guard reported to the baronet.

The baronet looked over at the stocks to confirm the number of criminals. The man was sitting in a cell with a metal chain tied to his ankle. He was sleeping on the hay piled on the ground. It was important that the guards did their jobs properly and did not use excess violence on the prisoners.

"Has the prisoners been fed?" The baronet asked the guard.

"Yes, twice in a day." The guard answered. "And we give them water when they ask us to."

"Good."

While the baronet asked the guard more questions, Sir Williams and the two squires silently waited on the side. They walked to the next cell and the person inside the cell started to fidget. This prisoner was chained by the ankle and had disheveled long hair covering his or her face.

"Ye, over there. What is this person in for?" Sir Williams asked another guard.

The guard came over and answered the knight's question.

"Sir knight, this prisoner is a woman. She cheated on her husband with the neighbor next door and was arrested for committing adultery."

From the books that Everin has read, she learned that marriage in the Midlands was perceived as a legal and spiritual union of two people. Adultery was extremely looked down upon and was considered breaking the law. However, other nations such as Farlands and Northlands, a man could have more than one wife. In the Farlands, a man could have a harem of women who weren't necessarily his wives, while in the Northlands, a man could have a main wife and many concubines.

"Where is the man who committed adultery with her?" The knight asked the guard.

"He completed his sentence and was released yesterday." The guard said. "The man is an unmarried carpenter. He was coming home after drinking with his friends and mistaken the female prisoner for a prostitute. He claimed that he was drunk when the female prisoner seduced him."