Curious Punishments of Bygone Days

What It's About

A survey of the crimes and penalties of colonial America, drawn from old court records, newspapers, diaries, and letters. Earle catalogues the physical and public forms of punishment used to correct wrongdoers and enforce moral order, including the pillory, the stocks, the ducking stool, the whipping-post, branks and gags, branding, maiming, and the scarlet letter worn by those convicted of adultery. She also covers punishments aimed at authors and books, along with public penance and military discipline.

Key Concepts

Many of the punishments described were designed as much to shame the offender publicly as to inflict physical pain, reflecting a colonial justice system in which church and civil authority were closely intertwined — moral offences like cursing, adultery, or missing church could carry penalties as severe as those for theft. The book also traces how these practices were largely inherited from English tradition and, in some cases, persisted in America well into the 19th century.

About the Author

Alice Morse Earle (1851–1911) was an American historian and writer from Worcester, Massachusetts, known for her detailed studies of everyday life in colonial and early America.