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Gloucester Pillory

GBR/J5/1 Rental of all the houses in Gloucester A.D. 1455

Prior to the Tudor period, there was little need for prisons, the reason being that they were expensive to build and to run.  Trials of any accused persons usually took place very quickly and so they only had to be held for short periods of time.  Although punishment for serious offences were harsh (typically execution or mutilation), for lesser offences, the most common punishments were fines or corporal punishments.  Crimes such as public disorder, disturbing the peace, drunkenness, prostitution, market crimes, etc were usually punished by a spell in the stocks, cucking stool or pillory; these were punishments that combined physical pain, discomfort and public humiliation.  This image shows the Gloucester pillory which was in Southgate Street.  Those receiving the punishment would often be kept in the stocks outdoors for several days, exposed to bad weather and members of the public shouting abuse or throwing rubbish at them.