Post-Medieval — 1600-1699
Scold's bridle
The scold's bridle was an instrument of punishment and a form of public humiliation for 'scolds'. This was usually a woman deemed to to have had a ‘vicious tongue’. One of the punishments for breaking the public peace as a 'common scold' was to be placed in the scold's bridle. The scold's bridle was designed to resemble the contours of the human face often fitted with an iron muzzle or gag to fit into the mouth to suppress the tongue within a hinged iron framework to secure the head. The bridle would be worn in public to maximise its effectiveness as a form of punitive social control.
- Category:
- Post-Medieval
- Object ID:
- 30.89/2
- Object name:
- scold's bridle
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- —
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- 1600-1699
- Material:
iron
- Measurements/duration:
- L 290 mm, H 310 mm (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 40%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- CC BY-NC 4.0
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.
Download image file
You are welcome to download and use this image for free under Creative Commons Licence CC BY-NC 4.0.
Credit: London Museum
To licence this image for commercial use please contact the London Museum Picture Library
Download image file
You are welcome to download and use this image for free under Creative Commons Licence CC BY-NC 4.0.
Credit: London Museum
To licence this image for commercial use please contact the London Museum Picture Library
