Bilboe
Encyclopedia
Bilboes were iron restraints placed on a person's ankles or wrists. They were used to restrain prisoners and slaves, and for public corporal punishment
for men and women alike.
Bilboes consisted of a pair of "U"-shaped iron bars (shackle
s) with holes in the ends, through which a bolt was inserted. The bolt had a large knob on one end, and a slot in the other end into which a wedge was driven to secure the assembly. Bilboes were made in many sizes, ranging from large ones suitable for a large man's ankles, to ones small enough to fit children.
Bilboes used as public punishment combined physical discomfort with social humiliation; they were popular in England
and America in the colonial and early Revolutionary periods (such as in the Boston Bay colony
) until they were superseded by the use of stocks
. They were used in England to "punyssche transgressours ageynste ye Kindes Maiesties lawes". According to legend, the device was invented in Bilbao
, Spain
, and was imported into England by the ships of the Spanish Armada
for use on prospective English prisoners. However, the Oxford English Dictionary
notes that the term was used in English well before then. Bilboes appear occasionally in literature, including Hamlet
(Act V, Scene 2: "Methought I lay worse than the mutinies in the bilboes") and the journals of Captain Cook
.
Bilboes were used to restrain slaves on slave ship
s. Components forming more than 80 bilboes have been recovered from the Henrietta Marie, an English slave ship that wrecked
in the Florida Keys
in 1700 after delivering slaves to Jamaica
. Bilboes were also found in the Molasses Reef Wreck
, a Spanish wreck in the Turks and Caicos Islands
from very early in the 16th century, which may have been a slave ship hunting Lucayan
s in the Bahamas
. Bilboes were used to fasten two slaves together, so that the 80 plus bilboes found on the Henrietta Marie would have restrained up to 160 slaves. Bilboes were usually not placed on every slave transported, nor were they left on for all of a voyage. Only the slaves that were strongest and presumably most likely to revolt or escape were kept in bilboes for all of a voyage.
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
for men and women alike.
Bilboes consisted of a pair of "U"-shaped iron bars (shackle
Shackle
A shackle, also known as a gyve, is a U-shaped piece of metal secured with a clevis pin or bolt across the opening, or a hinged metal loop secured with a quick-release locking pin mechanism...
s) with holes in the ends, through which a bolt was inserted. The bolt had a large knob on one end, and a slot in the other end into which a wedge was driven to secure the assembly. Bilboes were made in many sizes, ranging from large ones suitable for a large man's ankles, to ones small enough to fit children.
Bilboes used as public punishment combined physical discomfort with social humiliation; they were popular in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and America in the colonial and early Revolutionary periods (such as in the Boston Bay colony
Boston Bay
Boston Bay may refer to:*Boston Bay, Illinois*Port of Boston, Massachusetts*Boston Harbor, Massachusetts* Boston Bay, Port Lincoln, South Australia* Boston Bay, Portland Parish, JamaicaSee also* The Boston Bay State Banner...
) until they were superseded by the use of stocks
Stocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
. They were used in England to "punyssche transgressours ageynste ye Kindes Maiesties lawes". According to legend, the device was invented in Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and was imported into England by the ships of the Spanish Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
for use on prospective English prisoners. However, the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
notes that the term was used in English well before then. Bilboes appear occasionally in literature, including Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
(Act V, Scene 2: "Methought I lay worse than the mutinies in the bilboes") and the journals of Captain Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
.
Bilboes were used to restrain slaves on slave ship
Slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting slaves, especially newly purchased African slaves to Americas....
s. Components forming more than 80 bilboes have been recovered from the Henrietta Marie, an English slave ship that wrecked
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
in the Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
in 1700 after delivering slaves to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Bilboes were also found in the Molasses Reef Wreck
Molasses Reef Wreck
The Molasses Reef Shipwreck is the site of a ship which wrecked in the Turks and Caicos Islands early in the 16th century. It is the oldest wreck of a European ship in the Americas to have been scientifically excavated.-Discovery:...
, a Spanish wreck in the Turks and Caicos Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.The Turks and...
from very early in the 16th century, which may have been a slave ship hunting Lucayan
Lucayan
The Lucayan were the original inhabitants of the Bahamas before the arrival of Europeans. They were a branch of the Taínos who inhabited most of the Caribbean islands at the time. The Lucayans were the first inhabitants of the Americas encountered by Christopher Columbus...
s in the Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
. Bilboes were used to fasten two slaves together, so that the 80 plus bilboes found on the Henrietta Marie would have restrained up to 160 slaves. Bilboes were usually not placed on every slave transported, nor were they left on for all of a voyage. Only the slaves that were strongest and presumably most likely to revolt or escape were kept in bilboes for all of a voyage.