In 1339, fishmongers were involved in a series of major street battles with goldsmiths. In medieval times, punishments for crimes was much more strict and brutal. So, Despard was simply hanged and beheaded. Some of the crimes included:-Gossip-Not working hard enough-Nagging-Murder-Stealing/theft Criminals in medieval Europe had punishments that were very harsh, depending on the crime: such as being fined, put in the stocks, or hanged and burned. Even the loss of an ear made the perpetrator’s shame permanently visible. ... Why were medieval punishments so harsh? But ironically, the apprentices with the worst reputation for violence belonged to the legal profession. Edward Despard was sentenced to the traditional punishment for traitors: to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. It was both the spirit and the intent of Han Fei’s legalism, as it came, from time to time, to dominate Chinese law, that punishment for all crimes would be harsh and universal. People lived in a state of fear thinking they would be the next victim. The Middle ages was a time of severe punishment and harsh torture for crimes that today would seem trivial. The medieval times was a time of severe punishment. Of course, by 1803, the punishment was considered a little barbaric. The History of Medieval Crime and punishment is filled with harsh punishments. Throughout the medieval period it was believed that the only way to keep order was to make sure that the people were scared of the punishments given for crimes committed. Retribution and deterrence were the main attitudes towards punishment in the 16th and 17th centuries. They led to harsh punishments where the criminals suffered pain, humiliation or death. There were many methods to punish and torture criminals during the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, every crime had a punishment. Punishment. The Village Court usually applied embarrassing punishments rather than torturous. Levels of violence there were considered unacceptably high by contemporaries: in the 1340s, the homicide rate was around 110 per 100,000. Even so, Despard’s execution attracted a crowd of 20,000 people. (In the UK in 2011, it was 1 per 100,000.) Medieval fines and punishment. Strangely enough, burglars were rarely killed as punishment. The punishments were harsh because the overall system was influenced by the Church and such punishments were given in order to create fear in the hearts of the people and to keep them from committing crimes. People were beheaded and limbs cut off, vagabonds were often whipped and chained in stocks. An exceptional case, even by medieval standards, is provided by 14th‑century Oxford. Punishments During the Middle Ages. For this reason all crimes from stealing to murder had harsh punishments. In the Middle Ages, fines were the most common punishment for theft, and one that was not considered dishonorable. See, also, China: A Legal History. Many of the crimes and punishment that we today would not consider crimes and/or punishment, were easily considered so back then. There were different kinds of punishments for every medieval crime. These included being put in the stocks so passing people could throw rotten food at them, or a fine. More severe cases could be punishable by flogging, the cutting off of one or both ears or a hand, or death by hanging. Crimes such as treason or arson which were viewed seriously as they damaged the land and property of the ruling classes were punished by execution, usually hanging.. Corporal Punishments - This was meant to act as a deterrent to stop others from committing the same crime. Capital Punishments - this is the death penalty. Why were levels of interpersonal violence so high in the Middle Ages? Minor crimes that appeared in the Village Court did not have harsh punishments. Even petty crimes such as stealing something as simple as bread qualified for a punishment. This was usually done through mutilation- the removal of a body part.