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The Pillory as Punishment

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Apr 12, 2011

Tagged in: woodcut , Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre , William Sloper , William Prynne , whipping , whipped , Warminster , Upper Swainswick , trading standards , trading , towns , tokens , thumb-pillory , Thomas Edmonds , The Reliquary , Terry Bracher , talk , stocks , Simon Sloper , sedition , Salisbury , rotten eggs , researching , Quarterly Journal , Quarter Sessions , Quarter Sessions , punishments , Punishment , profiteers , popular demand , poor relief , political , platforms , Pillory , pillorie , pelted , Obsolete , Nicholas Powell , nailed , moral , minstrels , Marlborough , market squares , map , Llewellyn Jewitt , Libell , libel , letters , jury , jougs , John Speed , James Summers , hurdle , Healsfang , hanging , gruesome , goale , France , faggotts , engraving , English Civil War , ear lobe- boring , ducking stool , dishonest , Devizes , deceiving , cucking , critic , Crime , counterfeit , cosonage , Cookinge stool , convicted , Conquest , confessed , citizens , Charles I , catch-neck , burning , branding , branded , beheading , Bath , Anglo-Saxon , Anglican Church , abused

I am currently researching items for my forthcoming talk at the History Centre on Crime and Punishment in Wiltshire (Thursday 14th April) and come across a wonderful woodcut engraving of the pillory at Marlborough in an article on obsolete punishments by Llewellyn Jewitt in “The Reliquary” Quarterly Journal, January 1861.

 

The pillory was used for a range of moral and political crimes, most notably for dishonest trading - the modern equivalent of implementing trading standards.  Its use dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was known as “Healsfang” or “catch-neck”. In France it was called the pillorie.  It was well established as a use of punishment after the Conquest.  It was considered to be a degrading punishment with offenders standing in the pillory for several hours to be abused by fellow citizens, sometimes being pelted with all manner of organic material such as rotten eggs, mud and filth. If that was not enough, sometimes the offender was drawn to the pillory on a hurdle, accompanied by minstrels and a paper sign hung around his or her head displaying the offence committed.

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Local History and the art of serendipity

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Jul 9, 2010

Tagged in: Yorkshire , Wiltshire Weather Proverbs , Wiltshire shepherd , Wiltshire Libraries , Wiltshire Independent , Wiltshire Council , Wiltshire Archaeological Society , William Camden , Westmorland , weather , Wales , verdict , Titchborne Claimant , Times Digital Archive , The Preston Guardian , The Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser for L , Terry Bracher , Swindon Libraries , Swindon Borough Council , subscribe , stories , Sir Roger Titchborne , Shrewsbury , Shoulder of Mutton , serendipity , search terms , Rev. C. H. Smith , researchers , relieving-officer , records , Public House , prison , poor man , Poor Law , online , observations , Nineteenth Century Newspapers Online , newspapers , Malmesbury Union Workhouse , local history , libraries , landlord , keywords , jury , John Matthews , John Aubrey , Jacksons Oxford Journal , information , Inclemency of the Weather , http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/leisureandculture/libr , http://www.swindon.gov.uk/leisuresport/libraries/2 , History Centre , heir , family fortune , eureka moment , distraction , Devizes prison , Death , court case concerning , Coroner’s , computers , clergyman , browsing , Bromham , Brinkworth , astrological , articles , Arthur Orton , art , antiquarian , 1873

Like many researchers, when I am browsing newspapers and other records I am often distracted by other interesting stories or snippets of information. When searching for articles online, there is less distraction as you are already narrowing your search terms to produce that eureka moment. But what online research does provide for, something that should be in every Local Historian’s toolkit, is what I call the art of serendipity, or more bluntly putting in a couple of keywords and see what happens, with surprising results! (You see, we have all done it).
The Titchbourne Claimant 
The Titchborne Claimant

In the spirit of research on behalf of our faithful blog readers I thought I would search two online resources to which both Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council subscribe on your behalf. These are the Times Digital Archive and Nineteenth Century Newspapers Online. These are available 24/7 to Wiltshire Libraries and Swindon Libraries members respectively, through the following links: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/leisureandculture/librarieshome/libraryonlineresources.htm. To find out which other Wiltshire stories were discovered, please 'read more'... 

 

http://www.swindon.gov.uk/leisuresport/libraries/24hourlibrary.htm



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