Pillory

The 17th-century perjurer Titus Oates in a pillory

A pillory was a device used to punish or humiliate people. It was mainly used in the Middle Ages. It consisted of a plate, usually made of wood or iron. This plate had holes, and was fixed on a pole, which was put in a public plane. Victims would have their head and arms fixed in the plate. They would be unable to move, and at the mercy of those passing by. A similar device, which was usd to fix the feet, was called the stocks.