The National tribune., 1881-10-29
THE CUCKING-STOOL.

Our fOretathers were men of mettle; they
grappled with that social evil, the scold, and
| they found possible remedy handy in the cuck-
ing-stOol, which certainly had come to them from
Saxon times, as it is mentioned in Domesday book
although it seems then to have been used to
punish offenders of a different description. In
speaking of the city of Chester it says: 'Vir sye
muller tasam mensuram in civitate taciens
deprehensus, iii. solid, emendab. Simiiter
malam cervisiam faciens, aut in Cathedra pone-
batur Stercoris, aut iii. solid dab, prepotis
Here we see it was then used for the exposition
of those giving false measures or selling bad
beer. But it was convenient and harmless
punishment. 1t involved no physical hardship,
and was applied to scold in a very simple man
ner. She was only placed in it, (being, of course
duly fastened in) and exposed outside her house.
or in some other place for given time and so
left to the gibes and insolent remarks of the
crowd. This was the first and gentlest treatment
of the disease. 1t gave no personal pain, as did
the stocks and rather shows the wish of our an
cestors to begin with moral suasion; but finding
still that her clam rOus tongue strikes pity deaf"
they invented the tumbrel, on which she was
drawn round the town, seated on the chair For
instance, in the cOmmon-hall accounts of the
borough of Leicester, 1857, it was ordered that
scolds be punished by the mayor on a cuck-stool
before their own door, and then carried to the
four gates Of the town." And this failing, the
tumbrel was turned into the tree bucket or NOV
able ducking-stool and this in it's time yielded
to the permanent ducking- stool, which, accord
ing to Gay, seems at all events to have had ter
rors for some:
III speed me to the pond where the high stool
On the long plank hangs DER the muddy pool:
That STOOL the dread of every scolding quean" etc.
Several old cucking-stOOls are yet in existence
and might, even if not used, be of great service
as warning to ladies of intense and imprisoned
verbosity. There is one at Leicester and in the
old town records before quoted we find some
curious facts relating to these stools. One was
made IN 154S at cost of ;1s., but could not
have been very strong, as in 1862 there is an en-
try, Paid for mending of the cuckstole tow
tymes, Wild" In 1853 and 1868 it was repaired
at cost each time of Is. 4d. In 1856 it required
much mending. 1t 1878 new one was made at
a cost Of AS, and another in 1916 cost los I'd.
and the last one seems to have been made in
1850: " Paid Mr.. Elliott for q cuck-stool bv
order OF hall, e. There is another chair at
WoottOn Bassett, which bears the date of 1856.
which was also used on wheels, backed into the
pond and tipped up. There is one in the mu-
scum at Scarborough, in which the patient is
fastened by an iron pin fastened through thearms
after the manner of baby's chair At Meath
there used to be one, but the scold had to be
found guilty by six men before she could be
punished. There was a fine one at Sandwich
previous to 1892, on which were man and
woman calling each other names, while on the |
cross-bar Were the words:
Of members ye tonge is worst or best
An yll tongue ofte doethe breede unreste"
All The Year Round |