Pub Sign Study The Stocks Inn Stalybridge Manchester

Tweet

A real piece of history here, as stocks were used as a medieval cruel, humiliating punishment for minor crimes such as drunken behaviour, or spreading malicious rumours. If found guilty by local magistrates, a felon would be forced to sit or crouch with feet, hands, or as depicted in the sign, both, (and some stocks could also trap the head). The victim could be kept there for hours or days. Not only would the stocks be extremely uncomfortable, the poor wretch would be mocked by passers-by who would insult him (or her), throw stones, water, rotten fruit and the contents of chamber pots and generally intimidate the victim until release. The original stocks the pub is named after, now chained up, so no one can be put in them and locked in, are still in place, right by the pub, appropriately in Stocks Lane, Stalybridge. In the sign a wealthy couple look down on the poor peasant in the stocks. (richer people rarely faced such humiliations). Sometimes stocks are used at village fairs with victims taking to them voluntarily to raise money for charity. Arthur Chappell