Stocks, The Green, Thornborough, Buckinghamshire
The village stocks stand on the village green. A statute of 1351 made it law for every township to provide and maintain a set of stocks. They were used to punish people who were guilty of petty (less serious) crimes. They varied in design but basically could be opened up to allow arms, legs or the head to be fitted into the holes and locked down for a set amount of time. Here they would have sat on a bench with their legs in the holes. Often other villagers made fun of them or threw things like rotten fruit at them. The photograph was taken for the Victoria County History project.
