How women in the 1500’s were punished for speaking badly of other people

Do you speak about other people when they are not around to other people?

Why do we like to talk about other people?

Women who gossiped in the Middle Ages (around the year 1500) received public humiliation. The punishment was given by their husbands. The women were forced to wear the Scold's Bridle for many hours.

Just like modern people the women of the middle ages would get together to talk about other people. They would talk about the newest rumors. However gossiping in the middle ages had repercussions. The punishment was known as the Scold’s Bridle.

The Scold’s Bridle was an iron mask that she had to wear on her face. A small piece of iron, known as the “bridle bit,” would be put inside a woman’s mouth and pressed upon the tongue to stop her from speaking.

If a husband heard that his wife had been gossiping he would make her wear the bridle to teach her a lesson.

The husband would also attach a leash (usually worn by dogs today) to his iron masked wife and take her on a walk of shame around the town. He would encourage people to insult or spit on her. Sometimes a bell would be attached to the top of the bridle to attract more people to see her.

The word “scold” was to describe a woman who is seen to be nagging or always unhappy.

In the middle ages it was thought that people’s bodies needed to be punished for sin. And this was the thinking for the Scold Bridle. The idea of the Scold’s Bridle was also not a new one. This was the thinking of the church in those times. People must have physical punishment to be pure and innocent again.

By the end of the 16th century, the Scold’s Bridle had begun to see a decrease in popularity. And the bridle began to fall by the wayside.

Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.

 The answers are below the table.

A=6, B=2/8, C=1, D=8/2, E=7, F=3, G=5, H=4

Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.

1. There is some gossip that she is dating her teacher.

2. I feel humiliated because he told everyone my secret.

3. If you don’t study hard there will be some repercussions.

4. People who anonymously write unkind words on the internet should be shamed.

5. Parents need to encourage their children to have dreams.

6. Why did you call him that insulting bad name.

7. My mother keeps nagging me to do my homework.

8. Don’t listen to his words because finally his comments will fall by the wayside. And nobody will remember.

    

Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your answer.

1. Why do you think people love to gossip?

2. Tell about a time you felt humiliated?

3. These days what are the repercussions for gossiping?

4. Do you think people who gossip should be shamed? How should they be shamed (if you agree)?

5. If someone feels humiliated how can you encourage them to keep fighting?

6. How should we react to insults we hear? Should we not listen and let their bad words fall by the wayside? Is that very hard to do?

7. What words or actions do you find nagging?