Pillory/Stocks

What is a pillory/stocks? The pillory/stocks were a frame used to fasten a minor criminal so that they could be punished by being pelted by villagers.

A pillory in a village.

Pillories and stocks were places in the Middle Ages for punishment where the crime was not particularly severe. The difference between a pillory and the stocks was that the criminal stood in a pillory, they sat in stocks.

People could then throw what they liked at the offender for a certain length of time. If they threw heavy objects there was a chance the offender might be injured or killed.

The pillory at Charing Cross, London.

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