PUNISHMENT of Criminals:
Years ago (I mean 200 and more), criminals were put in prison only to await their trial. Which was usually very quick after they were apprehended.
Sentences carried out were, eg:
hanging (for breaking and entering, damaging people's property, and more serious assaults)
branding (petty theft, etc), marking where could be seen, as appropriate
putting in stocks and pillory
whipping in a market place, or 'at the cart's tail' (ie. behind a cart, driven through the streets)
transportation to America, and other British colonies, plantations, and later to Australia - included children as young as 10 or 11
sending into the navy or military if appropriate, especially during times of conflict.
Later, when imprisonment became an option, it was very often with hard labour,
ie. treadmills (very often non-producive,
oakum picking (picking tar off ships rope),
or the crank (continually winding a handle which did not do anything)
or solitary confinement
rations were often very sparse and plain.
I would like to see some of them put into Tilmanstone stocks instead of this character:
K.