BRANKS (probably akin to Irish brancas, a halter; Ger. Pranger, fetter, pillory)

This article appears in Volume V04, Page 431 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: BOS-BRI

BRANKS (probably akin to Irish brancas, a halter; Ger. Pranger, fetter, pillory) , or SCOLDING-BRIDLE, a contrivance formerly in use throughout England and

Scotland

for the

punishment

PUNISHMENT (from Lat. punire, to punish, from poena, punishment, Gr. 7rocvil)

of scolding women. It is said to have originated in the latter country. It seems to have never been a legalized form of

punishment

PUNISHMENT (from Lat. punire, to punish, from poena, punishment, Gr. 7rocvil)

; but corporations and lords of manors in England, town councils, kirk-sessions and barony courts in

Scotland

assumed a right to inflict it. While specially known as the " Gossip's or Scold's Bridle" the

branks

BRANKS (probably akin to Irish brancas, a halter; Ger. Pranger, fetter, pillory)

was also used for women convicted of petty offences, breaches of the peace,

street

STREET
STREET, GEORGE EDMUND (1824-1881)

-brawling and abusive language. It was the equivalent of the male punishments of the stocks and pillory. In its earliest form it consisted of a hoop head-piece of iron, opening by hinges at the side so as to enclose the head, with a flat piece of iron projecting inwards
so as to fit into the mouth and

press

PRESS (through Fr. presse from Lat. pressare, frequentative of premere, to crush, squeeze, press)

the tongue down. Later it was made, by a multiplication of hoops, more like a cage, the front forming a mask of iron with holes for mouth, nose and eyes. Sometimes the mouth-

plate

PLATE

was armed with a short spike. With this on her head the offending woman was marched through the streets by the beadle or chained to the market-

cross

CROSS

to be gibed at by passers. The date of origin is doubtful. It was used at Edinburgh in 1567, at Glasgow in 1574, but not before the 17th century in any English town. A brank in the church of Waltonon-Thames, Surrey, bears date 1633; while another in a private collection has the crowned cipher of William III. The Ashmolean Museum at

Oxford

, the Scottish National Museum of Antiquities at Edinburgh, the towns of Lichfield, Shrewsbury, Leicester and Chester have examples of the brank. As

late

LATE

as 1856 it was in use at Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire.
See W. Andrews, Old Time Punishments (Hull, 189o) ; A. M.

Earle

EARLE, JOHN (c. 16o1-1665)
EARLE, RALPH (1751-1801)

, Curious Punishments of Bygone Days (Chicago, 1896).

End of Article: BRANKS (probably akin to Irish brancas, a halter; Ger. Pranger, fetter, pillory)

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/BOS_BRI/BRANKS_probably_akin_to_Irish_.html">
BRANKS (probably akin to Irish brancas, a halte...
</a>

(Previous)
BRANGWYN, FRANK (1867 )

(Next)
BRANT, JOSEPH (1742-1807)

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email