Stumbled across this page that contains a list of “rules and regulations” handed down by various Anglo Saxon kings. Here is a shortened list of the laws of Aethelberht. It’s a bit like trying to read Chaucer in Old English, but you get the drift!

Source: Medieval Sourcebook: The Anglo-Saxon Dooms, 560-975

The Laws of Aethelberht, King of Kent, 560-616 A.D.

These are the dooms which King Aethelberht established in the days of Augustine.

Of church-frith.

1. The property of God and of the church, twelvefold; a bishop's property, elevenfold; a priest's property, ninefold; a deacon's property, sixfold; a clerk's property, threefold; churchfrith, twofold;.

2. If the king calls his leod to him, and any one there do them evil, (let him compensate with) a twofold bot, and fifty shillings to the king.

3. If the king drink at any one's home, and any one there do any lyswe, let him make two-fold bot.

4. If a freeman steal from the king, let him pay ninefold.

5. If a man slay another in the king's tun, let him make bot with fifty shillings.

6. If any one slay a freeman, fifty shillings to the king, as drihtinbeah.

7. If the king's ambihtsmith, or laadrinc, slay a man, let him pay a half leodgeld.

8. The king's mundbyrd, fifty shillings.

9. If a freeman steal from a freeman, let him make threefold bot; and let the king have the wite and all the chattels.

10. If a man lie with the king's maiden, let him pay a bot of fifty shillings.

11. If she be a grinding slave, let him pay a bot of twenty-five shillings. The third (class) twelve shillings.

12. Let the king's fedesl be paid for with twenty shillings

13. If a man slay another in an eorl's tun, let him make bot with twelve shillings.

14. If a man lie with an eorl's birele, let him make bot with twelve shillings.

15. A ceorl's mundbyrd, seven shillings.

16. If a man lie with a ceorl's birele, let him make bot with six shillings; with a slave of the second (class), fifty scaetts; with one of the third, thirty scaetts.