Scold Bridal Research Paper

The scold’s bridal is a symbol that the society of the 17th century, particularly in London, is dominated and ruled by men who are able to submit women.

“Between 1560 and 1640 […] records disclose an intense preoccupation with women who are a visible threat to the patriarchal system. Woman scolding and brawling with their neighbours, single woman refusing to enter service, wives dominating or even beating their husbands; all seem to occur more frequently in this period” . Natalie Davis said even a new class of “the woman on top” was emerging. But how does this stay coherent with the artefact in the picture?

The scold’s bridal originated in Scotland during the 16th century. But it got widely popular in the lower class in England during

the 17th century. It was an instrument of punishment, consisting of a metal head cage with a built in gag, holding the tongue down to prevent someone of speaking. Predominately it was used against scold’s, women who were accused of disturbing the peace by publicly abusing family members or neighbours by inappropriate gossiping. Therefore the device is commonly known as the gossip bridal. By publicly humiliating and torturing a woman the scold’s bridal was a preventive or punitive method to forbid women the freedom of speaking.
Therefore the thesis arises that the gossip bridal is a symbol that the society of the 17th century particularly in London is dominated and ruled by men who are able to submit women.
The device could be worn for several hours to even weeks. It was not unusual that the woman wearing the bridal was paraded through the town tied to a string by men.
Sometimes a bell was attached to the gear to announce the arrival of the woman to be ridiculed by the other citizens and neighbours. The element of humiliation plays a strong element of self-justice employed by the neighbours and particularly the husbands. Therefore some masks even had long noses attached to the face. This was used to dehumanize the self-esteem of the women. It was a form of disempowerment. The woman was unable to move freely and could not express her thoughts. During her punishment she was utterly helpless.
But not just the psychological factor in form of humiliation played a role.

Also the physical pain was relevant to stress the superiority of the men. The woman would cut her tongue if she attempted to speak as many devices had sharp spikes attached to the mouthpiece. The woman was forced to wear the device which also illustrates the physical inferiority. The mouth opening also did not allow food consumption. The woman was not even in control of her own life. She would starve without the help of the man.

Furthermore it was very likely that the punishment was not imposed by a court as most of the times only wealthier people or matters concerning property were addressed to the court. Instead ‘unofficial community actions’ were implemented by ‘informal means’ . This would imply that a man could choose how to punish a woman. The woman did not have an opportunity to defend herself. She could only be freed of the Scold’s bridal when she surrendered and accepted her ‘misbehaviour’.

The scold’s bridal was an instrument of power in order to control the woman and enforce the submission of her. But the necessity of such a device might also illustrate the fear of men that the existing patriarchal order was threatened. Why did its popularity grow during the seventeenth century, especially in English towns such as

London?
During the early years of the 17th century the poorer residential districts of London, such as Southwark, consisted of narrow streets. The neighbouring house windows nearly touched each other. A strong sense of community existed. Especially women were socially well connected. The neighbourhood could support, protect and aid for vulnerable women. ‘Gossiping’ became a weapon and earned the women a status of small autonomy or independence. Women could publicise injustice. ’When violent men cast their households into disorder, neighbours intervened to help women at risk’ . Despite male complaints about female talk, women gained influence through their tongues.
The scold’s bridal should symbolise the man’s superiority over women. The woman should be reminded that she is dependent on the man. She should comply to the values of the patriarchal society and only speak what and when she was allowed to. At the same time the scold’s bridal emphasizes the violation of order by the women. Men were to a certain extend impotent against the spreading of gossips, which was a powerful weapon by which the abuse of power could be corrected.
In my opinion the Scold’s bridal is therefore also a sign of the patriarchal weakness in the lower class. It was one of the remaining brutal means to submit the other sex, which gained strength due to the new gained solidarity.