Crime and Punishment

Although in the early 1800s more than 200 crimes led to the gallows, the law was relaxed later in the century. For lesser crimes more and more people were sent to prison as the century progressed.

Other forms of punishment did exist, most of which were public and symbolic in nature. Some of these are described below. Alternatives did exist and some offenders were encouraged to join the military.

The Stocks were originally used as a means of confining offenders once they had committed a crime. However, they were eventually used as a means of punishment in themselves. They were normally used for punishing petty criminals and were a popular form of entertainment for passers by. The stocks at Shrewsbury were last used in 1850 when a policeman was convicted of being drunk and disorderly. On completion of his sentence the officer in question actually received a standing ovation and benefitted from a collection made on his behalf.

The Pillory was similar to the stocks. They secured the head and arms of the offender whilst they remained in a standing position. Like many forms of punishment the pillory was designed to ridicule the offender in public and to deter others from similar crimes. Like the stocks various items were thrown at people placed in the pillory and this could lead to injury. In 1803 a Shrewsbury landlord was fined for providing short measures in his pub. He was threatened with the pillory should it ever happen again! The pillory was finally abandoned as a means of punishment in 1837.

Whipping or flogging was a form of punishment that had been used for many years and which continued into the nineteenth century. Whipping was commonly carried out in public to set an example to others. Those being whipped were attached to some form of whipping post. This was either a permanent structure or a suitable alternative. The railings in front of the old Market Hall at Shrewsbury were once used for securing the guilty as they were whipped. Alternatively, offenders were tied to the back of a cart and led around town. In 1801, this means of punishment was administered to Edward Browne, who was led around Much Wenlock at the back of a cart for two hours as he was whipped.

The Brank was used to punish people who disturbed the peace by being noisy and abusive. The brank was a helmet which was fixed around the head of the offender. Attached to the inside of the helmet at the front was a gag or tongue plate which stopped the tongue from moving and therefore prevented speech. Sometimes a more dangerous attachment, such as a knife, was used. Once the helmet had been attached, the guilty party was led around in public to set an example to others. The last recorded use of this punishment in Shropshire occurred in Shrewsbury during 1846 when a woman from Frankwell was given the Brank for being rude to her neighbours.  The Brank served a similar purpose to the earlier ducking stool.