Geograph - photograph every grid square

The stocks

Stocks made from wood or iron were used from Anglo-Saxon times until 1837 for punishing minor offences such as drunkenness, resisting a constable or drinking alcohol during a church service. The offender had to sit with ankles locked in place for a specified time, as decreed by the magistrate. The hands were free so defence from the crowd was possible. According to a law passed in 1405 every town and village had to have a set of stocks. These were usually placed beside a public highway or at a village green. Link