What is bridewell punishment?

Answer 1

The Bridewells, or Houses of Correction were penal institutions that existed in Britain during the 16th -- 18th Centuries. They were primarily for the punishment of petty criminals -- vagrants, prostitutes and petty thieves. Offenders of this type could be sentenced to a spell in the Bridewell, of usually up to six months, where they would be subject to a regime of hard labour (e.g. beating hemp) and frequent corporal punishment (birching for juveniles (up to 21 years) and whipping for adults). Both male and female offenders were sent to Bridewell. The corporal punishments were severe. Birching was applied to the bare buttocks, with the offender secured astride a 'birching horse'. It was applied equally to both genders, with a severity that would leave the whole of the buttock region, including the anal and perineal sphere, a raw mass of bloody flesh,. Whippings for adult offenders (over 21 years) were more severe, administered with the Cat'O Nine Tails across the upper back and shoulders, until the whole area was a mass of raw flesh and blood. It was usual for all offenders to be flogged on admission to the Bridewell, and again on departure when they had completed their sentence -- in addition to any floggings they received for breaking rules or misbehaviour during their stay.