Curious Punishments of Bygone Days

Curious Punishments of Bygone Days by Alice Morse Earle, with illustrations by Frank Hazenplug, was originally published in 1896. Its eleven chapters include The Bilboes, The Ducking Stool, The Stocks, The Pillory, Punishments of Authors and Books, The Scarlet Letter, Branks and Gags, Public Penance and Military Punishments. In a foreword the author says that while ransacking old court records, newspapers, diaries and letters for her books on colonial history she noted much on old-time laws and penalties, and that this volume grew from those notes.

The pages on the bilboes quote Boston court records, among them an entry of 7 August 1632 and a sentence of 1633 for Thomas Dexter. Other passages mention a Mr. Plaistowe condemned to be called Josias instead of Mr., a Maine man named Thomas Taylour set in the stocks for saying thee and thou to Captain Raynes, and the Code of Martial Law established in early Virginia by Sir Thomas Dale.