PILLORY. The pillory was a mode of punishment for crimes by a public exposure of the offender, used for many centuries in most of the countries of Europe under various names. In France it was called psiltnie, and, in more recent times, carcan ; and in Germany pranger, In England it existed before the Norman conquest, and was in frequent use in our criminal law from that period until it was finally abolished in the year 1837, by the statute 1 Vict., c. 23. In the laws of Canute (Wilkins's Anglo-Saxon Laws,' p. 11) it was called healfange, or, more correctly perhaps, halafang, that is, catch-neck, a name derived, without doubt, from the form of the instrument used, and the mode in which the punishment, was inflicted. Hence also the Latin name of the pillory, colastrigiars (quasi collum stringens), is said to be taken. (Cowell's Interpreter,' ad. voc. Pillory.) The tumbrel, trebachetam, an obscure punishment, which is said to be the same as the ducking or clicking stool, and was used for women, who were exempted, on account of their sex, from the pillory, is often spoken of in the ancient English laws in conjunction with the pillory. In early periods of English history, the right of having a pillory and tumbrel, and some times also fume, or gallows, within their jurisdiction, was claimed and insisted on as a beneficial franchise by lords of Teets : in process of time this privilege was converted into a burden for the public use ; and such persona were held to be bound to maintain a pillory and tumbrel as appurtenant to their criminal jurisdiction, on pain of for feiture of their franchises. (Hawkins's Pleas of the Crown,' book ii., cap. 11, sec. 5.) In like manner the Droits de Carcan ct de Pillori ' are mentioned in ancient French customaries as belonging formerly to seigneurs haut-justiciers. (Vouglans, Lois Crinainelles de France.')
The form of the pillory as used in England in the time of Henry VII., may be seen in a collection of prints published by the Society of Antiquaries. In modern times it was nothing more than a wooden frame or screen, raised several feet from the ground, and behind which the culprit stood, supported upon a platform, his head and arms being thrust through holes in the screen, so as to be exposed in front of and in this position he remained for a definite time, sometimes fixed by law, but usually assigned at the discretion of the judge who passed the sentence.
The pillory was intended " rnagis ad ludibrium et infamiam quam ad poenam ; " but serious injury, and, in some cases, loss of life, has occurred where the populace have been much excited against the offender. (Barrington's Antient Statutes.') On the other hand, where the unpopularity of the prosecution or other causes have occa sioned a feeling in the public mind favourable to the offender, the execution has sometimes been a species of triumph.
In England the pillory was abolished by the statute above referred in France, the careen was discontinued upon the revision of the Code Paid in 1832 ; and in the numerous codes and schemes of codas which have appeared in the different states of Germany during recent years, punishrneota by public, exposure of the person or otherwise tending generally to degrade the character have been omitted. (' Entwiirfe fiir Wiirtemberg, Sachsen, Hannover, Baden,' &e.)