Definition of branks:
(n) :
a
punishment device, especially for scolding women, consisting of a
cage to enclose the head, with a metal
gag for the mouth
"1836: Plot, in his History of Staffordshire, describes the branks used at Newcastle-under-Lyme, and at Walsall, in the reign of James II. -- The Gentleman's Magazine, July 1836 p.98"
Definition of branks:
(n) :
a
punishment device, especially for scolding women, consisting of a
cage to enclose the head, with a metal
gag for the mouth
"1836: Plot, in his History of Staffordshire, describes the branks used at Newcastle-under-Lyme, and at Walsall, in the reign of James II. -- The Gentleman's Magazine, July 1836 p.98"