SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. Look at SOURCE2 .What does the scold’s bridle tell us about the treatment of women and societal attitudes towards them in medieval times? 2. How might wearing a scold’s bridle affect the physical and emotional wellbeing of the person subjected to it? 3. What behaviours or actions were punished by making someone wear a scold’s bridle?
SOURCE2 A woman wearing a scold’s bridle
Women accused of gossiping faced harsh punishments. These included: • the scold’s bridle: a heavy iron muzzle with a bit that silenced the woman, causing pain and humiliation as she was paraded around town • the ducking stool: a stool attached to a wooden arm over water, where the accused was repeatedly dunked, often for gossiping, scolding, or perceived witchcraft. Theft was common, with punishments ranging from fines to mutilation (losing ears, hands, or being blinded) and public flogging. When the Normans took power in England in the 11th century, they mostly kept the Anglo-Saxon system but introduced new forest laws, banning people from common lands now owned by the monarch. Permits were required for hunting or taking timber, generating revenue for the Normans. They severely punished poachers. The Normans also introduced the murdrum fine, designed to deter Anglo-Saxons from secretly killing Normans. Where a Norman was killed, the whole village had to pay a fine (and the culprit was executed, if found). 3.7.3 Trials Trials by jury were held in the manorial court. All male villagers had to attend several times a year or they would be fined. The lord’s steward or reeve oversaw the court, and the jury was made up of 12 village men. The jury decided if the accused was guilty and what the punishment would be. Trial by ordeal was used for serious crimes across Europe. Different ordeals were used to determine guilt or innocence. In the ordeal by fire, the accused took a hot iron bar from a fire and walked with it. Their hands were bandaged, and after three days, the wounds were checked. If they started to heal, the person was innocent; if not, they were guilty. In another form, trial by hot water, the accused had to retrieve an iron bar or ring from boiling water.
TOPIC3 Medieval Europe 71
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