The terms belt, strap and tawse all meant the same in Scotland.
Actually Tawse was the posh or seldom used word and it really depended where you went to school what it was called.
In the Borders and parts of the Highlands it was called the Strap whilst most folk in Central Belt called it a Belt (LOL…strange but true!)
I was recently told about a belt made by Hunters in Falkirk which was not split into tails. Most though had 2 and sometimes 3 tails. The belts generally were between 21 and 24″ long.
There were exceptions of course ranging from about 12″ to around 28″. I have seen up to 6 tails on belts.
Although the very stiff (board-like) 3 tailed Lochgellys were fearsome beasts, the thin 2 tailed ones (often wielded by older male and female teachers) were the ones to be avoided if at all possible.
School Belt6
Related Articles
-
Receiving Corporal Punishment as an Adult out of Curiosity5
My interest in corporal punishment can also be traced back to grammar school days when I had both a...
-
Making a Meal of It1
I grew up in the 1970s in the south of England. My mother had me when she was considerably...
-
Edwardian Prep School Canings1
I used to know an old man, who was a boy at a private “prep” school during the 1910s/1920s....
-
Caning from of the Times27
The plaintiff pleaded that these words were meant and were understood to mean that the plaintiff had been guilty...
-
Hand Spanking11
Hand spanking was commonplace at my primary school in the late 1950s and 1960s. Mainly applied to younger children...
-
The Spanish Slipper12
The slipper was hurting far more than I’d imagined it ever could. Perhaps my memory was playing tricks but...
-
School Corporal Punishment History28
The less stoic might bury their stinging fingers under their arms and bend silently over them. Those who clenched...
-
Caning at Cothill4
There are apparently visible 2 large semi-circular darkened patches each about 9″in diameter on the lower half of each...