The Scold’s Bridle-How Men In The Middle Ages Dealt With A Gossiping Wife

10The earliest record of the Scold’s bridle

The earliest use of the bridle on record was in Scotland in 1567. It was most probably being used in Wales and England at the time. The victim was Bessie Tailiefier who was accused of slandering a person named Bailie Hunter over a dispute of land.

The piece soon became common in Germany where the bell was then added as an enhanced humiliation method in the walk of shame. With the coming of the pilgrims to America, the Scold’s Bridle was then used extensively by Colonial Americans namely the Puritans who were known for their severe forms of punishment.

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11Used on slaves

The Scold’s Bridle may have gone out of fashion for women in America and saw a decline in use by the 16th and 17th century but the practice evolved as a punishment for slaves in America. Throughout the 18th and 19th century, the Scolds Bridle was used for torturing slaves from Trinidad and Tobago to South America and North America.

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12The scarlet letter

The forms of female humiliation for sins like gossip and adultery were mellowed in use of physical means but they remained in emotional forms such as the Scarlet Letter made famous in the book by the same name by American Author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Set in 17th century Puritan, Massachusetts It narrates the story of Hesther who gave birth to a daughter after having an affair. She was imprisoned and then set free but was made to wear a scarlet Letter sewn on her blouse. It was a simple letter “A’ that stood for “adulteress.”It is a romance that details her struggle in the midst of social shame and the attempt to regain her dignity.

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