A scold's bridle, sometimes called a witch's bridle, a gossip's bridle, a brank's bridle, or simply branks, [1] was an instrument of punishment, as a form of public humiliation. [2] It was an iron muzzle in an iron framework that enclosed the head (although some bridles were masks that depicted suffering).

Nov 29, 2008 · In short, women who gossiped with their neighbors with no purpose other than to offend, ridicule or lie about someone else were subject to this torture. The device was a metal cage or mask that enclosed the head, often with ridiculous adornments designed to humiliate its …

Apr 22, 2023 · For hundreds of years in the British Isles, one of the worst things someone could be was a “scold.” This was a term used for women — and sometimes, but rarely, men — who gossiped, slandered others, fought loudly, or, basically, spoke out of turn.

The Brank’s or Scold’s Bridle was a torture device commonly used to punish women in medieval times, it was considered a “lesser” kind of torture device during the medieval period. “To curb women’s tongues that talk too idle” *Quote found in Walton on …

Brank’s torture device, also known as the scold’s bridle, represents an unsettling chapter in the annals of crime and punishment in medieval Europe.

Dec 15, 2017 · For this “crime” a special device was invented―the scold’s bridle. It was an iron muzzle enclosed in an iron framework that surrounded the head of an accused woman, like a mask.

Nov 7, 2022 · In Scotland a more brutal version known as a ‘Brank’ featured extra prongs that extended farther into the offender’s mouth. In addition, a chain was attached to the back of the cage by which the individual was led around. Aggressive tugs on this chain could cause disfigurement and loss of teeth.

The Scold’s Bridle, also known as the Brank’s Bridle or simply the Brank, emerged during the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe, particularly in England and Scotland. Its primary purpose was to punish and silence women who were accused of gossiping, nagging, or engaging in behavior deemed disruptive to societal norms.

Perhaps the cruelest punishment for slanderers, nags, and gossips, when simple gagging wasn't enough, was the brank, sometimes called the "gossip's bridle" or "scold's helm." This was a sort of heavy iron cage, that covered the head; a flat tongue of iron, sometimes spiked, was thrust into the mouth over the criminal's tongue.

The meaning of BRANK is prance, caper.