PuritanismAn Introduction to The

Scarlet Letter.

Puritan Punishments

• “Benefit of clergy”: the convicted may plead “benefit of clergy”, in which case, if they can read a passage from the Bible without one mistake, their sentence will be reduced.

• Stocks: the convicted will have his head and hands placed in a locked stockade for the remainder of the day, and the community will be invited to pelt him with food. The convicted must clean up anything he is pelted with.

Puritan Punishments cont.

• Branding: the convicted is marked with letters that stand for their crime – HT for hog thief, A for adulterer. The branding can be on the cheek, forehead, or more mildly on the hand or finger.

• Wearing a sign: a milder punishment than branding. The convicted must make their own sign to hang around their neck, which indicates their crime.

Puritan Punishments cont.

• Dunking stool: for women only, usually used in the case of gossip. The woman shall be confined in a chair and dunked in water.

• Whipping – for men only, a common punishment. A number of “lashes” is administered to the convicted’s back. Lashes usually number from 5 to 20.