The Ducking Stool

The Ducking Stool. . , The earliest documented evidence for a ducking stool in Christchurch is in the Borough Records dating from the mid-14th century. In May 1350 a property deed mentioned a 'Schulffyngstol, another dated September 1468 calls it a 'Shylvyngstole'. , This is believed to be the punishment device now more commonly known as a ducking stool. It consisted of a chair, into which the victim was tied, fixed to the end of a wooden beam that could be lowered into water. The ducking stool was almost exclusively, reserved for scolds - women found guilty of verbal abuse, brawling or other anti-social behaviour. The culprit was raised and lowered into the stream as often as the sentence directed. It was a means of public ridicule and humiliation. Other local punishments involved whipping through the market, exposure in the stocks, pillory and whirly-gig (a type of spinning cage). , Contrary to popular belief, it is unlikely that ducking stools were ever used in Britain for identifying witches. The last recorded use of a ducking stool in England was in 1809., In 1986 a replica ducking stool was made and erected close to its original position as part of the centennial festival to celebrate Queen Victoria's charter which confirmed the Borough status of Christchurch. It is not known what the original looked like as designs varied considerably through time and from place to place., The mill stream has silted up over the years and would have been much deeper when the original stool was in use. It is possible that the stream widened at this point to form a pond into which the stool was plunged. ,