This is the ninth in a series of events to bring us to some of the sites of correction used during the past in Derbyshire, with this one taking us to the stocks in the tiny High Peak village of Wormhill.
The pillory & stocks are often confused. Stocks were designed to hold the feet, whilst a pillory would restrain the hands & the head of the criminal. Both were used throughout Medieval times to publicly humiliate wrongdoers & positioned in prominent places for maximum effect, although the punishment usually only lasted for a few hours. The person would be mocked & jeered by passers by & the criminal could also expect to be pelted with rotten vegetables & fruit or even worse. In 1351, the Statute of Labourers Act decreed that every town & village should maintain a set of stocks to punish "unruly artisans"! By 1494, The Vagabonds and Beggars Act stated that “Vagabonds, idle and suspected persons shall be set in the stocks for three days and three nights and have none other sustenance but bread and water and then shall be put out of Town.”
Wormhill stocks are positioned on the village green, but are not original. They were restored around 1729 & are now considered part of the Victorian memorial to James Brindley, who was born in Wormhill in the 18th Century. They have grooved stone pillars cut from gritstone, although they are no longer in the best condtion & show signs of both damage & repair. There are the typical two pairs of holes in the wooden beams which are held in place with iron bands with a wooden bench positioned behind.
This short event will give us an opportunity to meet up safely outside for some geochat & to swap trackables in hopefully peaceful & beautiful surroundings. I have not provided a specific parking waypoint as there is plenty of street parking avaiable. As always, please park considerately. There are a couple of caches in the area, if you haven't done them previously, with more further afield. There may even be a new cache published for the occasion...