Cart's tail
To be whipped at a cart's tail or end was a form of punishment used in the British Isles in from at least the 16th to the 19th century. The miscreant sentenced to such a whipping would be stripped to the waist, and have their hands bound to the back end of a cart, which would be pulled through the town or city, frequently following a customary or prescribed route. The person to be whipped had little alternative but to follow the cart or to risk being dragged by it. As the procession moved along the route, the subject would be whipped.
Frequently more lashes would be inflicted than in a stationary punishment, the conclusion of the whipping being the end of the journey. The person being punished would be forced to travel throughout their own town, and many more people would see the whipping occur. The extra strokes, the requirement of the whipped person to walk the route, and the humiliation of being seen were all part of this punishment.
Links
- Whipping at the cart-tail, Charing Cross, drawing by Samuel Wale, 18th century
Chat rooms • What links here • Copyright info • Contact information • Category:Root