Medieval jogging collar from Duddingston Church (13 photos)

To force the child to think about his behavior, he is placed in a corner. The punishment is not terrible, but it is offensive. It turns out that a similar practice existed for adults. And for the edification of posterity, an element of such a specific punishment system adorns the old village church.





A medieval device used to punish and shame offenders still hangs outside the village church.



Duddingston

In the small village of Duddingston, located on the outskirts of Edinburgh, is Duddingston Church. This 12th-century church was the center of the community in the late Middle Ages, and therefore was responsible for resolving any legal issues affecting the parishioners. This includes offenses such as drunkenness, disturbing the peace, spreading gossip, or even ignoring religious services.





Duddingston Church

As punishment for such public crimes, the perpetrator was given a jougs (from the Latin iugum - yoke) - a metal collar with a chain that attached it to the wall - around his neck. The humiliated criminal was forced to repent of his sins in front of all the parishioners coming and going from the church. They had to stand there day and night, in any weather, for a time that the clergy considered sufficient to atone for the offense committed.



Joggs on the church wall

This medieval device still hangs outside the church in the village of Duddingston and is one of the few surviving jogging collars in Scotland. By the way, the church has many other remarkable features.



Directly in front of the punishment collars is a stone structure with a set of steps that once helped worshipers alight and load onto carriages or horses. There is a guardhouse next to it. It was once home to watchmen who kept out "resurrectionists", or body snatchers, from stealing the dead to sell to Edinburgh's booming medical schools.



According to some sources, this is the oldest religious building still holding services in all of Scotland. As you walk around the church to the left, at the rear you can see an arched stone doorway dating back to Norman times. On the left side you can see the figures of Christ on the cross and a knight killing a dragon.



When the soldiers of Cromwell's army occupied Scotland, even seasoned warriors were horrified that the clergy used such punishment. Most of the joggings were torn from the church walls and destroyed. And only a few, including this one, remained as a memory of the past.







The collars are on display at the National Museum of Scotland