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The "Rats Dungeon", or "Dungeon of the Rats", was a feature of the Tower of London alleged by Catholic writers from the Elizabethan era. "A cell below high-water mark and totally dark" would draw in rats from the River Thames as the tide flowed in. Prisoners would have their "alarm excited" and in some instances, have "flesh ... torn from the arms and legs".
A torture chamber is a room where torture is inflicted. The medieval torture chamber was windowless and often built underground, dimly lit and specifically designed to induce horror, dread and despair. Historically, torture chambers were located in royal palaces, in castles of the nobility and even buildings belonging to the church.
In the late Middle Ages, some new variants of this instrument appeared. They often had spikes that penetrated the victim's back - as the limbs were pulled apart, so was his or her spinal cord increasing not only in physical pain but the psychological one of being handicapped at best, too.
The iron chair was a torture device that was added to dungeons in the Middle Ages. It experienced its prime in popularity in Europe. The iron chair has many different variations depending on its location but they consisted of 500-1500 spikes covering the whole chair with a hole on the seat for fire and coal to be placed under.
Slavery in the Early Middle Ages (500–1000) was initially a continuation of earlier Roman practices from late antiquity, and was continued by an influx of captives in the wake of the social chaos caused by the barbarian invasions of the Western Roman Empire. [1] With the continuation of Roman legal practices of slavery, new laws and practices ...
Ducking or cucking stool, a historical punishment for the common scold, 1896. The ducking-stool was a strongly-made wooden armchair (the surviving specimens are of oak) in which the offender was seated, an iron band being placed around them so that they should not fall out during their immersion.
Synopsis. Mathilda Gillespie, an eccentric recluse known for her incredible meanness of nature, is found dead in her bathtub, her wrists slashed and her head locked inside a so-called "scold's bridle", a rusted cage built with tongue clamps which was used as a torture device throughout the Middle Ages.
Shrew's fiddle. A shrew's fiddle or neck violin is a variation of the yoke, pillory or rigid irons whereby the wrists are locked in front of the bound person by a hinged board or steel bar. It was originally used in the Middle Ages as a way of punishing those who were caught bickering or fighting. [1]