Punitive and torture instrument of the Middle Ages
The Pillory was a punitive tool, used since the Middle Ages. The condemned man was imprisoned hands and feet, and exhibited in the public square, where the crowd made him the target of mockery, insults and mistreatment.
The use of the Pillory
it was common that manure was taken from black wells to smear his hair, nose, mouth, or stones was thrown to him, or it was burned, or inflicted injuries then covered with salt. Sometimes his feet would be only tickled.
Recipients of the Pillory
The pillories were reserved for those guilty of minor crimes, and were set up in market squares and at crossroads. A sign was often hung around the neck of the evildoer or nearby, reporting the crime he had committed. The length of the sentence generally lasted a few hours or a few days.
The system remained in use for about a millennium, and abolished in the nineteenth century (although it still did not officially survive, so much so that a case, which caused quite a stir, was reported in 1995 in Panama).
Curiosities about the Pillory
As a curiosity, it is worth mentioning that Daniel Defoe, the author of "Robinson Crusoe", was convicted of the humiliation of this treatment in 1703, on charges of defamation of the Church of England.
The prison and the instruments of torture at Palazzo delle Prigioni
Il Palazzo delle Prigioni a Venezia offers the opportunity to view the instruments of torture, prisons and period clothes still today, as well as learn about the stories and legends of a distant Venice. A piece of history witnessing the death and torture machines once used as instruments of justice.
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