THE BIRCH
( CLICK HERE for MEMBERS version )
The birch is a fearsome implement when used with any degree of force . They will easily cut the skin . Another disadvantage is that twigs break away during use , often travelling some distance from the recipient , a good vacuum cleaner is recommended !
( Dinara Drukarova , Of Freaks and Men ( Russia ) )
( VIDEO
CLIP )
( Note : We have called this " a bundle of sticks "
rather than a birch . These large diameter sticks have a different " feel
" to them . A birch made by bundling canes is shown on our IMPLEMENTS
Page . )
( REPRODUCED ARTICLES )
Prompted by the use of this implement in "The Yellow Room" , I was sufficiently intrigued about its use and effect to consider making one. This page is an ongoing description of how I fared, along with one young lady's account of the results.
A History of the Birch
My
own knowledge of the birch is sketchy, and I am sure there are web sites
that have a thorough research for anyone sufficiently interested.
With many thanks to Kazetnik, here follows a potted history of The Birch Rod:
The birch, a bundle of twigs cut from a tree, normally the birch tree. Dried out and with twigs and leaves removed, it has been long used as a means of corporal punishment and for stimulating the skin in or after a sauna. As an instrument of chastisement its first recorded use is in 1440: "He bete hur wyth a yerde of byrke". In the UK it was an available legal punishment until 1948, and is still retained as such by the Isle of Man, where the last judicial birching occurred in 1975, the same year as the European Court of Human Rights declared it a "cruel and unusual punishment". The last floggings of convicts for offences against prison discipline took place as recently as the 1960s. The 1948 Criminal Justice Act abolished birching for all crimes other than certain prison offences, where those 21 and over got 18 strokes of the cat-o’-nine-tails or birch, and those under 21 got 12 strokes.
The
application of the birch to children in British schools has an equally
long history. It appears in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure
(1603) and in 1536 the Biblical scholar John Tindale quips that "we
say of a wanton child he must be annoynted with byrchin salve".
Perhaps the most celebrated institution in which the birch was routinely
used was Eton, where each part of the school had its own flogging block,
a wooden step on which the victim knelt with his trousers down to
receive his punishment on the naked buttocks. In that position he was
attended by two 'holders down' whose duty it was to lift up his shirt
tails and hold him in place throughout the birching. The punishments
were for any number of minor offences and carried out in public. The
birches used consisted of a three feet long handle and two feet of a
thick bunch of birch twigs. School fees included half-a-guinea to cover
the cost of birches, whether or not the boy were actually birched at
all.
As for 18th and 19th century schoolgirls, they too were subjected to the birch at their high-class schools and at home by their governesses. In addition, many classified adverts appeared offering the services of experienced chastisers for parents who were too soft-hearted to birch their own female offspring. In 1869 a vociferous debate broke out in the press between those who regarded birching young females on their naked buttocks as indecent, and those who invoked the old adage of "spare the rod and spoil the child". But as recently as 1937 a schoolgirl in Dublin received fourteen strokes of the birch on the bare from a schoolmistress for possessing "indecent" books.
Many
nineteenth-century accounts of schoolboy and sexual birchings (and often
the two blur into one another) dwell with lascivious enjoyment upon
flaying the skin off the buttocks of the victim and the rivers of blood
that run down. (See in particular The Whippingham Papers,
probably by the renowned British poet A C Swinburne.) This has basis in
reality, as, for example, in the description of a birching in Nell in
Bridewell, where the flogging continues until two birches have been
broken on the girl’s naked buttocks and the blood runs freely. Some
"humorous" works exist in which the birchee (usually female)
is flogged to death, while the birch is also depicted as the pinnacle of
an induction into the delights of sadomasochism. (See The Yellow Room
elsewhere on this site). It also seems to have been the implement
of choice for those visiting brothels which specialised in offering
stern chastisements to aristocratic and middle-class gentlemen, an
impression strengthened by the inclusion of a birch rod above the bed in
Hogarth’s 18th-century engraving of the prostitute.
And the relative merits of the birch and the cane? "The vicarious cane is considered by birchers of experience to be an unsatisfactory substitute for the birch rod itself." (The Daily Chronicle, 1908)
A Personal Experiment
Acquiring the Materials
The obvious tactic was to take myself to the local woods, identify a Birch tree, and proceed to hack off the required quantity of suitable twigs. Snag one being that my tree identifying days are long past; snag two that other nature lovers may take offence at my vandalism; and snag three that the twigs need to be stripped and hung to dry for some considerable time.
There I stuck for some time, until a chance trip to the local garden-centre-cum-gift-shop. I suddenly realised that dried bunches of birch twigs stuck in a vase were trendy! And there they were - long (about 6 feet), straight, already stripped of leaves, dried, and neatly bundled. For 12 pounds (less than 20 US dollars), I acquired enough raw material to make at least 2 birches.
Manufacture
My immediate action was to cut off the topmost couple of feet of the thin ends, planning to divide them into two bunches ready for assembly. I bound the bunches using twine along the first foot to form a handle, leaving around 18 inches free to form the business end. The result was quite thick, perhaps a little too thick, but suitable for a first trial.
I then turned my attention to the surplus thick ends. Once unbound, this bundle turned out to contain many more thin tapering twigs, that could also be put to good use as birches. So I finally finished up with four quite thick birches. There remains a significant quantity of 3 foot long thicker twigs, ranging from 4 - 8 millimetres in diameter. These will be put to good use as experimental switches, either used individually or tied into small bundles of 3 or 5.
Strictly speaking, a birch should be soaked in brine for several hours before use. But we were keen to test one, and so we proceeded with a 'dry run'.
Operation
Experimental
air strokes gave a feel for the implement, and produced quite an
impressive "swish" as the free ends whipped through the air.
Enough to make "Subikins'" eyes open wide anyway ~veg~.
Having read the stories of women being 'birched until their backs bled, and pieces of bark having to be individually removed from the cuts", I was very circumspect about applying an implement with such a fierce some reputation to bare flesh. However, experimental strokes across my hand produced nothing more than a mild sting, and so I felt confident enough to move on.
Subikins was stripped, and laid out face down over a pile of pillows (we wouldn't want her to feel uncomfortable, would we?). I enhanced her situation by binding her wrists tightly behind her back. The first tentative strokes produced no great outcry from herself, and I found that the air resistance to each stroke enabled me to swing the birch quite freely without having to be unduly concerned about causing significant damage.
After 3 or 4 strokes I paused for a close and careful inspection of the upturned rump (an onerous task, but someone has to do it, right?) Both cheeks were already exhibiting numerous thin red lines running across both buttocks. These red striations covered from the top of each buttock, right down over both crowns, and including the junctions of buttock and thigh. As I stroked my palm lightly over her bottom, there was no evidence of welting at all, and no additional yelping from Subikins either - quite the reverse in fact. I asked her for a colour code (our standard measure of stingousity) - GREEN, code for "this is easy - I can take/want much more".
"Right then, my girl, let's see how you feel about a thorough birching then!"
This first trial was always tempered with caution, and I was forced to make numerous close and detailed inspections of the target area. But I will leave it to herself to describe how it feels to be birched, in the erotic sense anyway.......
..... When his Domliness turned up at my door with what looked like half of a tree, yes, the eyes opened wide even then, accompanied by helpless laughter. Now what was I in for! We'd speculated on a number of occasions about birches, their acquisition and use, but this was an unexpected bouquet. Sometime later, after he had put his DIY skills to good use, there I am, face down, naked, rump in the air, wrists bound behind my back and waiting for the experiment to begin. That familiar and delightful sense of vulnerability mingled with a tingle in the flesh anticipating the sting.
The
first strokes are mere tickles, strangely warming, the glow spreading in
waves quite different from the scalding and biting sting of a cane or
strap. I like this. More. I want more. I'm sure I'm wriggling my bottom
at him by now. As always when it is pure sensual pleasure and not the
challenge it can often be in some scenes. And anyway, he's slowly and
lingeringly caressing me, renewing the warmth, enhancing the
sensitivity. But he's being careful and I offer 'Green' to reassure and
invite him to continue.
The next set of strokes come stronger and quicker. Heat builds into a diffuse sting. This is (a)rousing stimulation. I've lost all sense of being bound and all my thoughts are focussed on the delicious tingling rolling through me. Somewhere dimly in my brain are memories of reading about fearful, bloody birchings and the delighted idea that it was all nonsense. This is nothing to do with 'pain' as she is normally understood. Sensation. More and harder, please.
He checks again for damage, for him going too far. By now the signs of my pleasure are all too visible, not to mention tangible, for him to doubt that this is working for me. (He tells me later that my derriere is crisscrossed with thin red lines, that it looks thoroughly punished, but all I feel is delicious warmth.) And then the final volley is delivered.
Rapid, firm swishes in the air translate into wicked biting sting like a light cane spread broad, accumulating with each stroke that lands. The low ones that catch the tops of my thighs make me gasp. And the occasional wayward twig pays a fleeting visit to more tender flesh, eliciting a wild squeak and a jerk, and a deeper dive into submission. Now I'm tasting the real thrill of being birched. It's enough of a challenge to require me to submit (and once again I'm aware of being bound) but nothing other than pleasure of the kind I relish most of all.
Perhaps next time we'll go on longer and he'll deliver the strokes with something closer to the full sweep of an arm. But we're experimenting here and there's no hurry. Seems like that half tree is going to provide a lot of scope for new fun and games!
And With Practice?
Well......
The birch has found a place amongst the cane, strap, paddle, slipper and palm. Where a naughty schoolgirl may feel a cane or tawse, then a sound birching seems most appropriate for the lazy maid.
The
original bunches of birch twigs have been first halved, and then
quartered. It seems that the thicker the bundle, the less the
sting. A thick bundle provides significant air resistance, and a
broad spread of impact, while the thickness provides a cushioning
springiness. The thinner bundles, on the other hand, are lighter,
whippier, and more responsive to wield. We now have a selection of
thicknesses of birch, each used depending on our relative needs and
desires.
A Word of Caution
Do not attempt to birch your loved one without the aid of a working vacuum! Those little pieces of bark and snapped twig tips get everywhere. The surrounding area looks like a mini Autumn (fall), she will have little pieces wedged in all manner of intimate places, and if you make the mistake of using your bed as a whipping block you should expect to sleep amongst forestry remains.
Is it worth the effort? Yes. Oh yes, if only for variety. But the sensations provided by a birch rod are unlike any other, and many a person reluctant to experience the more severe instruments is likely to thoroughly enjoy a good birching.
....... from Saxon
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article is neither about BDSM nor
pornography. It is about an aspect of history that may interest some readers.
The images are all from reputable sources and any conceived indecency can only
be in the minds of the readers. The birch rod Preface Corporal punishment of any form is no
longer legal in the United Kingdom or in Europe, having been replaced my various
forms of mental torture, such as imprisonment. The birch rod, with the switch, is
probably one of the earliest made instruments for punishment. There is some
evidence that at an early stage both were credited with magical powers. Indeed
it could be argued that any corporal punishment has magical powers since its
application was capable of results varying from a ceasing of antisocial behavior
to sexual arousal. The birch tree however was especially credited with magic
powers. Magic and medicine The birch, as pointed out by Robert
Graves in The White Goddess, was the first letter of the Irish tree
alphabet and he goes on to say that "birch twigs are used throughout Europe
in the beating of bounds and the flogging of delinquents - and formerly lunatics
- with the object of expelling evil spirits. Birch rods are also used in rustic
ritual for expelling the spirit of the old year." In the early form of
beating the bounds it is probable that virgin boys had a pealed ginger stem
inserted in their arseholes before birching in order to encourage the emission
of the semen that would ensure fertility of the fields in the coming year. In
using runes for fortune-telling the rune berkana, the birch, is connected with
fertility and spring. It signifies healing and regrowth. It seems likely that
the birch rod, as used for magical purposes, would have consisted of thirteen
rods of birch (possibly the Downy Birch) bound with yellow ribbon. As belief in magic became less popular
application of the birch gained a reputation for it medicinal properties. Many
Roman, and later, authors recommended whipping as a cure for insanity, Seneca
said it cured fever, Galen recommended it for putting on flesh and for centuries
it has been used to relieve impotence in men and sterility in women. The first
record in English of the use of the birch is 1440: "He bete hur wyth a
yerde of byrke". In Measure for measure (1623) Shakespeare
refers to, " fond Fathers, Hauing bound vp the threatning twigs of birch,
Onely to sticke it in their childrens sight, For terror, not to vse."
In modern English this is "stupid fathers who have bound together
frightening birch twigs only to show to their children to scare them but not to
use". In the home and school In the home it seems likely that for
occasional punishment either a natural spray was used or any convenient branches
were bound together. It may also be that on occasions branches already tied
together to be used as a besom or broom were pressed into service. The drawing
by Holbein the Younger seems to show the use of a natural spray. Later the
practice seems to have developed of making the recipient select the branches for
the birch that was to be used on him. The figure shows a youth, his shorts
already removed, in the process of making such a birch. The favoured position
for younger children was over the knee but older children will have been
punished kneeling, touching their toes or bent over a chair or, in woodshed
punishment, a sawhorse. The birch was always applied on the bare buttocks.
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In the school the birch was the favoured implement for punishment until the cane took over in the early 19c. It seems that a variety of forms of birch were used and a variety of methods used for holding the recipient. In the depiction of a scene in a school of ancient Rome the birch seems to consist of a small number of rods bound together and the recipient is horsed on an attendant’s back.
In Eton and Christ’s Hospital public schools the birches used had rather different forms which have been fully documented (see the figure opposite). They were as follows.
- Eton: a large spray birch with a long
handle 54 inches in total and weighing 12 ounces.
- Christchurch: a straight birch 32 inches in length and weighing 3 ounces. This may not have been made from birch twigs.
At Winchester the birch was made from twigs from the apple tree.
The methods of holding the recipient or of getting him to stand were many and varied. An early technique was probably horsing; another boy, or a man, holding the boy on his back as shown in the figure of a Roman birching. On the other extreme at Eton the recipient was held over a block which seems now to have been specially designed but may have been simply a disused mounting block originally used to help horse riders to mount easily. The full ceremony has been described by a recipient as follows:
I was caught misbehaving in the chapel, singing a rude, ribald verse to some psalm. I was summoned to the Lower Master for a flogging. You had to take your trousers and underpants off and kneel on a block, held down by two college servants. You were birched on your bare bum. I was trembling all over, as white as a sheet, absolutely terrified. I got six strokes, which actually drew blood, and when I got back into my class everyone was shouting ‘Where’s the blood? Where’s the blood?’ I had to take my shirt-tail out and show the blood spots.
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Making the school birch
It seems that 19c school spray birches were often made as follows. Use twigs from the silver birch (Betula pendula) or less ideally the downy birch (Betula pubescens). The best time for cutting the twigs is in early Spring before the buds form. 12 to 15 of the straightest twigs are used and cut to about 28in. Any side shoots are removed and the twigs arranged in a conical shape. The handle end is bound for about a third of the length of the rod and the other end trimmed. The rod, unless freshly cut, was be soaked in water, usually overnight, before use.
The straight birch is formed from perhaps half a dozen straight branches, usually from willow or apple, stripped of twigs and leaves. The branches are arranged to curve inwards and spread before impact.
Penal birching
The birch has been used for the penal purposes for at least two centuries in Britain, Europe and countries influenced by Europe such as Australia, Trinidad and Bermuda. It has mainly been used for juveniles but there are numerous examples of the birching of adults.
In the penal use of the birch the type of birch and the ways of holding the prisoner were extremely varied. Most of the early information comes from reports of those who have received it but towards the end of the 19c a series of reports gave a broader outline.
The instruments used in the 19c were simply at the choice of the police and probably covered both the spray type and the straight. In 1928 the specification for prison birches were standardized as below.
Specifications for punishment birches as used in British prisons in 1938
|
Recipient |
Overall length |
Handle |
Circumference |
Weight |
|
Juvenile |
34in |
8in |
5.5in |
6oz |
|
Teenage |
40 |
15 |
6 |
9 |
|
Adult |
48 |
22 |
7 |
12 |
In Saxony, Germany, in 1855 men were flogged with a bundle of birch rods 85cms long, bound together up to the middle.
Methods of holding the prisoner were equally varied. "The punishment is usually administered in a cell or private room, either within the precincts of the court or at a neighbouring police station. The birch is applied across the buttocks, on the bare flesh. The method most commonly used is to bend the boy over a low bench or table. His hands, and sometimes his feet, may be held by assisting parties. This method, though probably the most common, is not universal. In some cases a man takes the boy on his back, drawing the boy's hands over his shoulders; another constable holds the boy's feet, drawing his legs around the sides of the first man; the first constable then leans forward, and the birch is applied by a third. In some cases the boy is bent over and his head held between a man's knees, whilst a second administers the birch. In one district the boy is strapped to a triangle similar to the apparatus used in corporal punishment in prisons. In Scotland the boy is usually laid flat on a form, two police officers sitting astride the form at each end, one holding his elbows the other his feet, while a third administers the birching."
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In Scotland some courts and police stations had benches to which boys could be securely strapped down. One such is said to be on display at the People's Palace Museum on Glasgow Green. It was in use at Govan police station and has holes cut for the feet, straps for the ankles, thighs and waist, and others for the hands stretched out above the head. Another common piece of equipment was the birching pony used for young offenders.
In Guernsey a boy was strapped by his wrists and ankles to a bare bed.
The Isle of Man
In the Isle of Man up till 1960 a spray type consisting of 30 or more twigs was used for punishment. This design is meant to produce pain rather than damage. A similar type of birch was also commonly used in schools. After 1960 a punishment birch was used in the Isle of Man. This was 40in (102cm) long, consisted of 4 or 5 thin straight twigs, probably of willow, apple, or hazel leader shoots, bound with string to form a handle and with three further bindings down the first 20in (51cm) of its length. It was administered using both hands. Marks from this birch lasted from several weeks to months.
Making penal birches
There is little information about the 19c methods of making birch rods. In Nell of Bridewell this limited information is given. No, girls, a handful of birchen twigs does not suffice, they must be properly put together, and that has to be learnt; it is not everyone who can tie together a good birch-rod to last long enough, to have a sufficient swing that it may properly swish in the air and immediately raise weals and blisters. Besides, you must also understand how to choose the birch twigs; they should be full of sap and taken from a young tree and the tips must be sharp as needles; the twigs ought not to be taken from a common birch broom, where the ends are cut off so that the tips are quite blunt, otherwise they may hit well enough, but there is no proper swish. Then you must know how to combine the thick with the thin and slender, and how they ought to be properly put together; they must be elastic and flexible, have reach and swing, so as to sing music in the air, be ready and willing for use, and come down in quick succession on the part to be visited until it soon becomes red all over. Again, the thickness of the rod is to be considered, that it may fit conveniently to the hand, nor should it be tied up too tightly, or else the rod will be like a stick and. the twigs have no play. And do you also know girls, how the broom-makers manage with old birch brooms to make them again soft and flexible? They boil them in water, and I used to do the same when a birch rod appeared to be used up.
The technique of birching
There is little information available on the technique of birching and no doubt there were considerable local variations. It may however be assumed that the experts followed the following practices.
- Ensure that the recipient is physically fit to receive the punishment.
- Ensure that both the birch and the recipient were as clean as possible and ideally a birch was not re-used.
- Ensure that the recipient is held in such a way that he is unable to damage himself if he struggles.
- Aim the birch so that it hits the middle of the buttocks and that the ends of the birch hit about one inch past the centre of the far buttock.
Effects of the birch
The following eye-witness account of a
juvenile birching was published in the Pall Mall Gazette in 1887:
"The two boys were both
found guilty of theft and sentenced to receive 12 strokes of the birch. The
sentence was to be carried out at 1pm, after the birch had been pickled for two
hours. It consisted of a number of long thin lashes tied to the end of a stick
about 2 feet long. Each lash had a resemblance more to wire than wood. At the
appointed time the magistrates arrived to witness the punishment and the sobbing
boys were brought in. A move was made to the courtyard at the back of the goal,
a dull, bare piece of ground surrounded by high walls. In the middle of the
courtyard had been placed a bench, similar to a school form.
"Now then, down with your trousers, quick! " said one of the constables Although the two culprits obeyed the command their movements were not very rapid. One of the constables quickly unbuttoned one of the fellow's braces, and his trousers were pulled down so as to leave his buttocks bare. Almost with lightning rapidity he was placed on his stomach on the form. One constable at one end held his hands with an iron grasp and the other took the wretch's legs.
"The official who held the birch stepped forward both hands holding the rod, and with all his might and main commenced to administer the punishment. The boy began the most piteous howling and yelling and red marks appeared almost immediately across his buttocks. After three strokes his right buttock was like a piece of raw beef. After the sixth stroke the constable moved round to the other side of the form and administered six hefty strokes across the left buttock. The boy evinced the most unearthly yells and blood was immediately drawn. The constable took pride in the fact that the culprit would not be able to sit down for quite a time."
A 16-year-old boy who was birched in Guernsey in 1968 describes the event thus.
It was like being hit with a huge egg whisk. It stung and went on stinging for several hours afterwards. It was terrible not seeing where it came from -- they made me turn my head away. It wasn't so much the pain, because I've had worse from a school caning, but the fact that I was terrified. I couldn't stop shaking.
Then they took me up some stone steps, through two metal doors, and into another room. I knew right away this was where they were going to birch me. It was pretty dim, and had a big square bed in the middle, with straps at the top and bottom of either side. I noticed a window, and there were about seven people waiting there for me. The doctor examined me and then I had to take of my shoes, trousers and underpants. I lay on the bed in just my shirt, vest and socks, with a blanket under my face. I had another folded blanket under my stomach -- I suppose to raise my bottom. They pulled my shirt up and put a towel across my back. I felt very scared by then, and the doctor asked if I was all right -- I suppose I was white. I was shaking, but I didn't want to faint or anything, and I said I was all right. Then four of them strapped me down, and I was told to turn my face to the right so that I wouldn't see who was hitting me. The doctor looked at me again, and then turned and nodded slowly. The first stroke caught me by surprise, and I jumped a bit, but I didn't shout out. The doctor, who was standing beside me, looked at my face and nodded again. The second stroke seemed to hit me in a different place. He sort of moved them up and down, so that he did not always hit the same spot. The doctor looked at me and nodded in between each stroke. I just lay there with my eyes open, trying not to jump or shout out. I had eight strokes, and when it was over I was told to get dressed and had two more medical examinations. They took me back to my mother soon after that. She was waiting in the Governor's office, and she took me home. I cried a bit more on the way home. Later, I got my brother to have a look, but there were no marks on my bottom. I felt the stinging, though, for several hours afterwards.
The photo of three youths after being birched on the Isle of Man clearly shows the results of inexpert birching.
Acknowledgments
Although this article was begun before I was connected to the web, in its present form it owes much to two excellent web sites. These are The Corporal Punishment Archive and World Corporal Punishment Research .
.............. from Mike's Site
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SPENCER ASHBEE
From Index
Librorum Prohibitorum
Birching establishments
AT THE EARLY part of this century very sumptuously fitted up establishments exclusively devoted to the administration of the birch, were not uncommon in London; and women of the town served, as it were, an apprenticeship in order to acquire the art of gracefully and effectively administering the rod. It would be easy to form a very lengthy list of these female flagellants, but I shall restrict myself to the mention of a few only.
Mrs Collett was
a noted whipper,
and George IV
is known to
have visited her;
she had an
establishment in Tavistock
Court, Covent Garden,
whence she removed
to the neighbourhood
of Portland Place,
and afterwards to
Bedford Street, Russell
Square, where she
died. She brought
up her niece
in the same
line, who, as
Mrs Mitchell, carried
on a successful
business in various
places, among others
at No. 22
(afterwards 44) Waterloo
Road, and finally
at St Mary's
Square, Kennington, where
she died. Then
came Mrs James,
who had been
maid in the
family of Lord
Clanricarde; she had
a house at
No. 7 Carlisle
Street, Soho; she
retired from business
with a good
fortune, and dwelt
at Notting Hill
in luxury, her
house being decorated
with pictures, and
her person covered
with jewels.
There were, further:
Mrs Emma Lee,
real name Richardson,
of No. 50
Margaret Street, Regent
Street; Mrs Phillips,
of No. 11
Upper Belgrave Place,
Pimlico; Mrs Shepherd,
of No. 25
Gilbert Street; Mrs
Sarah Potter, alias
Stewart, of various
addresses, who died
in 1873; and,
were it not
indiscreet, I might
add the names
of one or
two other ladies
who still carry
on their calling.
But the queen
of her profession
was undoubtedly Mrs
Theresa Berkley, of
No. 28 Charlotte
Street, Portland Place;
she was a
perfect mistress of
her art, understood
how to satisfy
her clients, and
was, moreover, a
thorough woman of
business, for she
amassed during her
career a considerable
sum of money.
'She possessed the
first grand requisite
of a courtizan,
viz., lewdness; for
without a woman
is positively lecherous
she cannot long
keep up the
affectation of it,
and it will
soon be perceived
that she only
moves her hands
or her buttocks
to the tune
of pounds, shillings,
and pence. She
could assume great
urbanity and good
humour; she would
study every lech,
whim, caprice, and
desire of her
customer, and had
the disposition to
gratify them, if
her avarice was
rewarded in return.
Her instruments of
torture were more
numerous than those
of any other
governess. Her supply
of birch was
extensive, and kept
in water, so
that it was
always green and
pliant: she had
shafts with a
dozen whip thongs
on each of
them; a dozen
different sizes of
cat-o'-nine-tails, some with
needle points worked
into them; various
kinds of thin
bending canes; leather
straps like coach
traces; baffledoors, made
of thick sole-
leather, with inch
nails run through
to docket, and
currycomb tough hides
rendered callous by
many years' flagellation.
Holly brushes, furze
brushes; a prickly
evergreen, called butcher's
bush; and during
the summer, glass
and China vases,
filled with a
constant supply of
green netties, with
which she often
restored the dead
to life. Thus,
at her shop,
whoever went with
plenty of money,
could be birched,
whipped, fustigated scourged,
needle-pricked, half-hung,
holly-brushed, furze-brushed,
butcher-brushed, stinging-nettled,
curry-combed, phlebotomized,
and tortured till
he had a
belly full.
'For those whose
lech it was
to flog a
woman, she would
herself submit to
a certain extent;
but if they
were gluttons at
it, she had
women in attendance
who would take
any number of
lashes the flogger
pleased, provided he
forked out an
advalorem duty. Among
these were Miss
Ring, Hannah Jones,
Sally Taylor, One-eyed
Peg, Bauld-cunted Poll,
and a black
girl, called Ebony
Bet.'
From the introduction to the Index Librorum Prohibitorurn, compiled by Spencer Ashbee
