Pillory, << PIHL uhr ee, >> was an instrument once used to punish people for minor offenses. It was a wooden framework with holes cut in it for the arms and head of the victims. They were locked into these holes for a certain length of time. The pillory stood in the public square. Prisoners suffered both because of their uncomfortable position and because passers-by jeered and often threw stones and rotten eggs at them. Often the prisoners’ heads were shaved to increase their shame.
The English government used the pillory in the 1600’s to punish certain writers and publishers. Daniel Defoe was subjected to the pillory for publishing a libelous essay. The Puritans brought the pillory with them to New England and used it to punish “notorious drunkards, scolds, and bawds.”
