The Scold’s Bridle, a British invention, possibly originated in Scotland, was used between the 16th and 19th Century and it was a device used to control, humiliate and punish gossiping, troublesome women by effectively gagging them. Scold comes from the ‘common scold’: a public nuisance, more often than not women, who habitually gossiped and quarrelled with their neighbours, while the name bridle describes the part that fitted into the mouth.
