The ducking stool was an instrument of punishment from medieval times until the early nineteenth century. It was administered to cantankerous women, dishonest tradespeople, those who brawled in public, and others guity of minor misdemeanours for which the stocks, the pillory and the cage were deemed unsuitable. Originally the guilty party was fastened in the stool and lofted on high, but later the person was chained in the stool or chair and dipped under water in a nearby river. Leominster's example dates from the eighteenth century and was last used in 1809 on one Jenny Pipes who was guilty of using foul and abusive language. This is thought to be the last example of ducking in England. Today this ducking stool rests in Leominster's ancient church.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2
