Isn’t it a chilling thought? Here we stand before a Schandpaal. This isn’t just any old post. It’s a stark reminder of justice in a bygone era. The Schandpaal or pillory was a device for public shaming.
Imagine the scene in medieval times. The Schandpaal stood prominently in the market square. It was a wooden post. It had holes for the head and hands. Convicted individuals were locked in. They were exposed to public scorn. This was a truly dishonoring punishment. You literally stood “voor paal”.
The public often pelted those at the Schandpaal. They threw rotten fruit. They used horse manure. Sometimes, they threw harder objects. Imagine the humiliation. Imagine the pain. Some even suffered whippings or beatings at the Schandpaal. The punishment could last hours. Sometimes it lasted a whole day.
Yet, not all appearances at the Schandpaal were met with anger. Occasionally, the crowd sympathized. Daniel Defoe faced the pillory in 1703. This was after publishing a seditious writing. The people showered him with flowers.
Sometimes, those condemned to death were first displayed at the Schandpaal. This was done before their execution. Willem de Deken suffered this fate in 1328.
The Schandpaal remained a popular punishment until the 18th century. It was officially abolished in 1854. A Schandpaal often consisted of two planks. These planks were fixed on a pole. Three holes were cut between the planks. Two were for the wrists. One was for the neck. This allowed passersby to spit and jeer at the punished. Another form was a simple pole. It had an iron ring. This ring secured the offender’s neck.
There was also “the block”. This was a low wooden Schandpaal. It only secured the feet. This forced the person into a sitting or lying position. Passersby could then abuse them further. In Spain, a barrel-shaped version existed. The English adopted it. It punished public drunkenness. The offender had to squat inside. Their head stuck out of a hole. They were forced to sit in their own filth.
Interestingly, other names existed for the Schandpaal. One was “kaak.” The saying “iets aan de kaak stellen” comes from this. It originally meant putting someone “op de kaak.”
Today, we handle things differently. We don’t publicly shame people like this anymore. Modern news might use initials instead of full names. However, naming and shaming still exists. This is especially true for white-collar crime. The internet also hosts digital versions. Bloggers and others expose people and organizations. Sometimes this is justified and other times not.
The Schandpaal reminds us of a harsher time. Justice was public. It was often brutal. As you stand here reflect on how society’s views on justice have changed.