The Scold's Bridle or Brank

The Scold's Bridle or the Brank

First used in late medieval Scotland, the scold's bridle, witch's bridle, or brank, as it was sometimes called, had many different appearances. Fundamentally, it was the same: a metal cage for the head with a built-in gag. Some branks were very cruel pieces of work, with spikes which pierced the tongue. Some simply had a bell built in, a device which would further humiliate the "scold" who wore it through the streets.

In the streets, the scold would be subjected to the taunting and jeering of the crowds which gathered to witness the spectacle. "In Ipswich the scold was drawn around the town on a cart in the 'gagging' chair or 'tewe,' as it was known."

A scold was defined as: "A troublesome and angry woman who by brawling and wrangling amongst her neighbours breaks the public peace, increases discord and becomes a public nuisance to the neighbourhood." It remains unclear why men should not be pulled up on a similar charge. It was up to the judges to pronounce on whether a woman was indeed a scold. Frequently, it was a disgruntled husband bringing his wife to court.

Town jailers kept the brank and were on call to apply it.

In 1858 William Andrews gave a talk before the Architectural, Archaelogical and Historic Society of Chester which gave further clues to its use.

"In the old-fashioned, half-timbered houses in the borough, there was generally fixed on one side of the large open fireplaces a hook so that when a man's wife indulged her scolding propensities, the husband sent for the town gaoler to bring the bridle and had her bridled and chained to the hook until she promised to behave herself better for the future." This was presumably carried out as a favour to the husband, to spare him the trouble of appearing in court.

Branks were first seen in Edinburgh in 1567, and in Glasgow in 1574. They appeared as far south as Surrey by 1632. The Surrey bridle was inscribed: "Chester presentes Walton with a bridle, To curb women's tongues that talk too idle" (Farrington 30)

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Punishment, Torture, and Ordeal copyrighted 1996-1998 to Shantell Powell.