Woman wearing a scold's, or gossip's, bridle - stock illustration

A frustrated woman who has been clamped into a scold’s bridle, also known as a gossip’s bridle, witch’s bridle, or branks. They were a cruel method of keeping women from talking as they covered the mouth and jaw, preventing movement and speech by pressing down on the tongue inside the mouth. The first recorded use in the UK was in 1567 in Scotland. From “The Cottager and Artisan 1890”. Published by The Religious Tract Society, London.