It required a hearing and a written reason. If this
measure failed, it was possible to turn the offender over to the
state for punishment, e.g. for blasphemy or heresy. Blasphemy
[speaking ill of God] was thought to cause God's wrath expressed
in famine, pestilence, and earthquake and was usually punished by
a fine or corporal punishment, e.g. perforation or amputation of
the tongue. It was tacitly understood that the punishment for
heresy was death by burning. There were no heresy cases up to 1400
and few after that. The state usually assured itself the sentence
was just before imposing it. The court of the rural dean was the
ecclesiastical parallel of the hundred court of secular
jurisdiction and usually had the same land boundaries. The
archdeacons, who had been ministers of the bishop in all parts of
his diocese alike, were now each assigned to one district, which
usually had the same boundaries as the county. Henry acknowledged
occasional appellate authority of the pope, but expected his
clergy to elect bishops of his choice.
There was a separate judicial system for the laws of the forest.
There were itinerant justices of the forests and four verderers of
each forest county, who were elected by the votes of the full
county court, twelve knights appointed to keep vert [everything
bearing green leaves] and venison, and foresters of the king and
of the lords who had lands within the limits of the forests.
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