A form of standing
stocks, consisting of a pair of
posts topped by a
hinged
platform through which the
head and
hands could be placed and
secured. Minor
criminals and
ne'er-do-wells were often
pilloried as a form of
public humiliation. The pillory was sometimes combined with stocks and a
whipping post.
Some
people convicted to stand in a pillory also had their
ears
nailed to the platform to keep them from
moving their heads.