The Most Painful Medieval Torture Devices Ever Used

Medieval Torture Devices: The “Scold’s Bridle”

The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty ImagesWomen who were accused of being “scolds” were sometimes punished with a medieval torture device called a Scold’s Bridle.

For women in the Middle Ages, being called a “scold” could be a dangerous business. The term referred to anyone (but mostly women) who gossiped, slandered others, fought loudly, or spoke out of turn. And the punishment for some scolds was a medieval torture device called a Scold’s Bridle.

The device was basically an iron mask which was fitted over a woman’s face. A lock at the back held the mask into place, and a metal gag held the tongue down. Sometimes, the gags were spiked, which would cut the tongue if the woman tried to speak.

This device had a dual purpose. It would silence the woman accused of being a scold and it would humiliate her. Often, she would be forced to walk through town or stand in the main square so others could see her shame.

The Print Collector/Getty ImagesDifferent kinds of Scold’s Bridles, which were used on women accused of “gossiping, nagging or scandal-mongering.”

The first mention of this medieval torture device came in the 14th century, when one of Geoffrey Chaucer’s characters remarked: “would she were bolted with a Bridle.” Later anecdotes describe how women accused of being “scolds” or having “loose morals” were punished with a Scold’s Bridle.

Indeed, it seems that this device was used for hundreds of years. It wasn’t until the dawn of the Victorian era that Scold’s Bridles were declared “barbaric” — though the last known use of a Scold’s Bridle was in 1856.

This torture device was painful and humiliating, and it sought to show women everywhere how dangerous speaking their minds could be.

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