For many centuries the power of the Church literally put the fear of God into the hearts of the people. Church Courts could decide whether you lived or died, married or divorced, and whether you were richer or poorer. Intimate details of the cases they heard were meticulously recorded and are preserved in archives up and down the country.
Bettany Hughes discovers how the church ordered seven stout women to try and seduce an unfortunate impotent, how a proud heretic was condemned to be burnt and how an impudent prostitute tried to claim a wealthy aristocratic inheritance.
The power of the Church may have declined but its fearful past is easily conjured from crypts and crannies throughout the country.
Read more in the programme transcript.
Breaking the Seal in more depth:
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OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme One - Domesday Book
Introducing an episode in the series 'Breaking the Seal', which traces the growth of public information from the Domesday book to our present day tax system
Read nowOU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme One - Domesday BookLevel: 1 Introductory
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OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme two - Tax records
A programme summary for Tax, the second programme of the BBC/OU's series Breaking the Seal.
Read nowOU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme two - Tax recordsLevel: 1 Introductory
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OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme three - Military history
Introducing a programme in the 'Breaking the Seal' series which investigates military records.
Read nowOU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme three - Military historyLevel: 1 Introductory
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OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme five - Legal records
Introducing an episode of the series Breaking the Seal, which explores how legal records can reveal the past
Read nowOU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme five - Legal recordsLevel: 1 Introductory
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OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme Six - Land records
Introducing an episode of the 'Breaking the Seal' series which looks at the value of land records and the difficulty of knowing who owns Britain.
Read nowOU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme Six - Land recordsLevel: 1 Introductory
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OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Books
Find out how to start reading documents - start with some modern books.
Read nowOU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - BooksLevel: 1 Introductory
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OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Meet our experts
Meet the experts featured in the OU's Breaking The Seal series
Read nowOU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Meet our expertsLevel: 1 Introductory
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OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Taking it further: Courses
Has the series left you hungry for more history? Could our courses be the first step in taking it further?
Read nowOU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Taking it further: CoursesLevel: 1 Introductory
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OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme Six - Land records
Introducing an episode of the 'Breaking the Seal' series which looks at the value of land records and the difficulty of knowing who owns Britain.
Read nowOU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme Six - Land recordsLevel: 1 Introductory
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