Hi, Missing Lincs, Every now and then, whilst searching old records, I find an old term I have to look up. This one is not a very pleasant word: BRANKS A brank or branks (I've only seen it used in the plural form) is a kind of gag or bridle once used to punish scolding, gossiping or fault-finding women. Branks were used on men as punishment for slander. The term apparently comes to us from Scotland and consisted of an iron framework that fitted over the head. It had a projection that fitted into the mouth and pressed on the tongue. The wearer would be rendered incapable of speech. It was not intended as a torture device (but it sounds damn unpleasant) and was also called a "gossip's bridle" or "scold's bridle". I have no evidence of how long the poor woman was required to wear this. I know they were in use in the 17th century, but I don't know when they first appeared. I assume they were banned by the 1830s. Wikipedia has much more information on Branks. Lou (list admin.)