Rutland - Market Overton - Ancient Village Stocks!

Rutland: Ancient Village Stocks & Whipping Post on Market Overton Green! (25.10.2025)

In the old days, the local Courts would often sentence local people to a set-time in the Stocks. With their hands and feet firmly manacled into the device – the interested village population could take it in-turns to throw rotten fruit and vegetables – together with animal waste and other such horrible substances, at the condemned. This was at a time when long sentences of imprisonment were not yet used as a punishment. This treatment was designed to be so humiliating that a villager would not dare commit a similar crimnal act in the future – or at least that was the intention.

The Wells - Well Lane - 2024

Stow-on-the-Wold: “Stow Wells” – Ancient Spring-Water in the Heart of Gloucestershire! (29.8.2024)

When an individual was found guilty of some petty offence – they were sentenced to a number of days and nights in the Town “Stocks” held by the wrists, ankles and neck – whilst passers-by were permitted to strike them with kicks, punches and any object to hand (providing disfigurement and death was avoided) and threw rotten food and excrement if any were at hand! Most of this structure is now missing – with two vertical posts (about three-feet high) still being in situé: