nishment for a second offence.[38] Vagrants
were in former times often put in the stocks, and Canning's "Needy
Knife-Grinder" was taken for one, and punished.

In a valuable work mainly dealing with Devonshire, by A. H. A.
Hamilton, entitled, "Quarter Sessions from Queen Elizabeth to Queen
Anne," there is an important note on this subject. "A favourite
punishment," says Hamilton, "for small offences, such as resisting a
constable, was the stocks. The offender had to come into the church at
morning prayer, and say publicly that he was sorry, and was then set in
the stocks until the end of the evening prayer. The punishment was
generally repeated on the next market day."

Tippling on a Sunday during public divine service was in years agone a
violation of the laws, and frequently was the means of offenders being
placed in the stocks. In Sheffield, from a record dated February 12th,
1790, we find that for drinking in a public-house, during the time of
service in the church, nine men were locked in the stocks. "Two boys,"
we find it is stated in the same work, "were made to do penance in the
church for playing at trip during divine service, by standing in the
midst of the church with their trip sticks erect."

Not far distant from Sheffield is the village of Whiston, and here
remain the old parish stocks near to the church, and bear the date of
1786.

Perhaps the most notable person ever placed in the stocks for drinking
freely, but not wisely, was Cardinal Wolsey. He was, about the year
1500, the incumbent at Lymington, near Yeovil, and at the village feast
had overstepped the bounds of moderation, and his condition being made
known to Sir Amias Poulett, J.P., a strict moralist, he was, by his
instructions, humiliated by being placed in the stocks. It was the
general practice in bygone days, not very far remote, for churchwardens
to visit the various public-houses during the time of church service and
see that no persons were drinking. At Beverley, about 1853, the
representatives of the church, while on their rounds, met in the streets
a well-known local character called Jim Brigham, staggering along the
street. The poor fellow was taken into custody, and next day brought
before the Mayor, and after being severely spoken to about the sin of
Sunday tippling, he was sentenced to the stocks for two hours. An
eye-witness to Jim's punishment says: "While he was in the stocks, one
of the Corporation officials placed in Jim's