Scold's bridle
possibly 17th or 18th century
Scold's bridle from Reading Prison
In the 17th century a sharp tongued or nagging woman ran the risk of being convicted as a `scold'. Her punishment might have been to wear a bridle such as this which would gag and shame her in public.
This example has a tuft of hair on it crown. It was kept at Reading Prison until February 1883, when the Prison governor Captain Blyth gave it to Reading Museum. The Museum's first curator Dr Joseph Stevens published an article in 1882 called 'Municipal Punishments' that featured this bridle and other local examples.
Museum object number