280 



Chippenham. Notes of its History. 



for unless the players wander abroad, they are not " Rogues. " 

 The pillory and whip, as a mode of correcting mere lazy tramps, 

 have long ceased to be called for by the law : but the " cat o' nine 

 tails " has been within the last few years revived, with general satis- 

 faction, as the most wholesome and promising cure for brutal and 

 cowardly ruffians, convicted of cruel assaults with personal injury ; 

 "garotters" and the like. In legislating upon this sensitive 

 subject, caution is however needed ; so that the punishment may 

 fall upon the proper recipient. A mistake would be awkward. 

 This is suggested by an old story current among lawyers, but 

 whether only one of their jokes or not, I cannot say. In the reign 

 of George III., there was some misdoing or other, becoming 

 frequent, which called for present remedy. A Bill for the purpose 

 was brought into Parliament In the Bill, which as everybody 

 knows, is merely the first and incomplete draught of an Act of 

 Parliament, it was proposed to stop the offence by a fine in money. 

 The person convicted was to pay forty shillings ; one half to His 

 Majesty, the other to the informer. The Bill went into Committee, 

 and was altered. Instead of a fine in money, they substituted 

 " a sound whipping:" but they forgot to alter the terms of appli- 

 cation ; so when the new Act came out, it ran thus : — " For this 

 offence a sound whipping to be administered : one half to His 

 Majesty, and the other half to the Informer." 



The pillory at Chippenham stood at the churchyard gate. In 

 an old Churchwarden's book of A.D. 1677, are these entries 

 relating to it. 



£ B. d. 



i 'Paid the Mason for stone and work at the Churchy ardgate Pillory 12 6 



For lead at the pillory 1 6 



For hauling stone from Hazlebury for the pillory 4 0 



For the post, and work done at the church hatch 8 0 



And for iron used about the pillory 4 0" 



Whilst we are at the Church-gate, some other notices in the 

 same Account Book may be named. 



"For mending the clock and watch. For taking down the watch. For 

 money and beer in setting the watch up again. For gilding and painting the 

 watch." 



