History of Tickle Torture in Stocks | List of pillory tickle scenes

What is the pillory?

The pillory is a historical form of punishment and public humiliation that dates back to medieval times. It was a device used to hold an offender’s head and hands in place, often in a town square or other public area, as a means of exposing them to public ridicule and scorn. Here’s a brief history of the pillory:

The pillory was typically made of wood and consisted of a tall, sturdy post with a series of holes or slots to secure the offender’s head and hands. The wrongdoer would stand in the pillory, and their head and hands would be locked into place, leaving them exposed to the public.

The amount of time a person spent in the pillory varied depending on the severity of their crime and the whims of local authorities. In some cases, the punishment was only for a few hours, while others endured it for days or even weeks.

Frequently mistaken for stocks, pillories were a step up in the hierarchy of medieval punishments. While stocks immobilized the legs, pillories restrained the neck and wrists of the wrongdoer.

Tickle French Renfaire 1 — A girl tickled in a french medieval representation

History of the pillory

Stocks were devices historically used for corporal punishment and public humiliation. Unlike the pillory, which restrained the neck and arms, stocks were specifically designed to restrain only the feet. They were used by civil and military authorities from medieval times through the early modern period, including in Colonial America. Stocks were a common form of punishment from about 1500 until at least 1748. Many towns and villages had stocks, often placed in prominent central areas like the marketplace or town square. In places without a jail, stocks could serve as a means of secure confinement for individuals awaiting trial. Stocks were also employed within prisons to restrain unruly inmates or as an alternative to manacles and fetters. Importantly, stocks were also utilized in torture chambers as a way to restrain victims during or between torture sessions

Historical tickle torture — A painting at the Rothenburg criminal museum, depicting criminals placed in stocks. The town people would tickle them and put salt on their feet so goats would lick the feet.

In July 1703, the renowned writer Daniel Defoe faced the pillory for three consecutive days. This punishment was imposed on him after the publication of his work titled “The Shortest Way with the Dissenters,” which was considered seditious libel. As described by Richard Cavendish in History Today, Defoe endured an hour each time in three bustling locations in London: near the Royal Exchange in Cornhill (close to his residence), by the conduit in Cheapside, and finally, in Fleet Street near Temple Bar.

It was common that manure was taken from black wells to smear his hair, nose, mouth, or stones was thrown to him, or it was burned, or inflicted injuries then covered with salt. Sometimes his feet would be only tickled.
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As societies evolved, the use of the pillory came under scrutiny, and criticism grew over its effectiveness and ethics. Critics argued that the pillory was a cruel and inhumane punishment, and it did not effectively deter crime. As a result, many countries began to phase out its use in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Tickle torture: the humiliation of pillory

One specific method of torture applied when victims were restrained in stocks was tickling the feet. Tickle torture is an unconventional method from the Middle Ages that aimed to extract information or punish by inducing laughter, discomfort, and humiliation. Rather than inflicting immediate, severe pain, it involved repeatedly tickling sensitive areas, which triggered both physical reflexes and psychological distress. The feet were a prime target area for tickle torture due to their sensitivity.

The use of stocks combined with tickle torture is noted in several historical contexts. In ancient China, specifically during the Han Dynasty (206-220 AD), torturers reportedly placed their victims in stocks and tickled their feet continually until they confessed. This method was said to be used by nobility as a way to interrogate people without leaving any physical marks.

Tribute BAC Tickle Torture — Art by Raz Toermentor (BAC Tribute)

Passersby were encouraged to mock, insult, and even throw objects at the person in the pillory. It was a spectacle meant to degrade the offender, and sometimes, the punishments could become severe if the crowd became violent.

Those who wanted to humiliate and make the victim suffer would arrange to remove her shoes and socks and tickle him/her feet.

The victim then could do nothing but squirm and laugh in front of the crowd that witnessed the punishment.

The punishment is doubly humiliating since the tickling forces the victim to laugh without really wanting to, and this behavior makes him look ridiculous in front of the viewers.

The body feels threatened when touched in vulnerable parts such as the feet and armpits and tries to evade the touch. The pillory is meant to leave arms and feet immobile, so the victim tries futilely to protect himself, while the spectators watch him fidget in an uncomfortable manner and laugh at his reaction.

According to etymologists, the term “laughing stock,” defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “an object of general ridicule,” is unlikely to have originated from the use of stocks.

The stocks were particularly favoured for any torture of the feet. For example, roasting the victim’s feet in front of a fire, and the bastinado (beating the soles of the feet). More subtlety, Chinese torturers would put their victims in the stocks and tickle their feet continually until they confessed.
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In 2016, the town of Thame in Britain gained global attention when it considered a proposal to construct stocks within its limits. The idea was that the stocks could be used for hire as well as charitable events. “Perhaps for charity, we could arrange something fun, like having individuals sit in the stocks while others donate money based on the duration they withstand having their feet tickled and syrup poured between their toes, all in good humor.”

Tickle torture in pillory in popular culture

Movies

In “Me and Marlborough” (1935) a woman is put on stock and suddenly a dog starts to tickles her soles, making her giggling. The other two women don’t understand the situation and say to her: “It’s not a laughing matter!”

Animation

In “Albert the Fifth Musketeer” (Anatole’s treasure) a count is tickle tortured on pillory to make him reveal the location of a treasure.

In “Clarence” season 2 episode 7: Ren Faire, a man is tickled in a renfaire event while he’s on stocks.

Comics

Looney Toons

TV Series

Batman: Caped Crusader

TV Shows

Gethin Jones is tickled on stock in “Blue Peter” show.

A girl is tickled in stock in “Venga la Alegria“

Tickle torture in stock in "Venga la Alegria"

Siege of Canelli

The Siege of Canelli was a famous Italian event in which pillory tickling was used.

The organizers’ purpose was to reenact the climate of menace that hung over the poor victims, in keeping with the medieval event, but in a fun and light-hearted way.

The victims-almost always women-were chosen from those who did not possess a certain pass (“tiletto”).

The theatrics involved them being locked in the pillory under false accusations of being witches or spies, and deprived of stockings and shoes.

The jailers, pretending to interrogate them, would first begin by tickling them on the ribs and under the armpits. Then they would move on to tickle them with feathers under their feet and finally to scratch the soles of their feet with their fingers.

The woman would usually burst into a lot of laughter and admit that she was a spy or a witch. If the woman was not ticklish and laughed, a sign was placed on her that read ” intorturable.”

To top it off, the jailers would pretend to write a pass on the victim’s feet with a quill pen, then misspell it and erase it, causing the woman to be further tickled and laugh, before releasing her.

Bosa Turistika

Bosa Turistika offers a form of audience entertainment for events based on the ancient torture of the pillory.

Visitors, barefoot, are pinned to a pillory while another person tickles them underfoot with a feather.

It is a popular and novel attraction at public festivals (you can see it at festivals with historical themes, especially in France, Spain, Portugal and now also in the Czech Republic). The torture instrument is a feather and so the common denominator of the log experience is to experience the feeling of defencelessness, relaxation, the pleasant sensation of tickling the feet, to have fun or to take an original photo.