The
pillory was an ancient punishment and as early as the 13th century
it was used for traders who had swindled the public. After 1637 it
became the recognised punishment for those who published books without
a licence or libelled the government. The most famous pillory in London
was at Charing Cross.
When the public disagreed with the verdict of the court they turned
the event into a demonstration against those in power. When Daniel
Defoe was pilloried in 1703 for libel, the crowd covered the pillory
in flowers and gave him an ovation when he arrived at Charing
Cross.
Rudolf
Ackermann, Charing Cross Pillory, from Microcosm of London
(1808)
(1)
William Pyne, The
Microcosm of London (1808)
The
plate is a representation of the Pillory as it appears in Charing
Cross, a place very frequently chosen for this kind of punishment,
probably on account of its being so public a situation, and having
so extensive an area for the spectators, who never fail to be drawn
together by such an exhibition. The degree of punishment depends very
much on the nature of the crime. There are some offences which are
supposed to irritate the feelings of the lower class more than others,
in which cases the punishment of the Pillory becomes very serious.
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