The Painswick Stocks

were designed to hold a malefactor by the legs, or two if they sat side by side.  These ones are rare for they were made of iron in 1851 and only one other of this design, known as 'spectacle' stocks, exists -  previously all were made of wood.  These replaced wooden stocks that had been in the very centre of the town but were removed to this position against the church wall in 1840.  Stocks certainly existed in the 7th century in England but in 1351, in the reign of King Edward 111,  every township was required to set up and maintain a set of stocks by statute.  Their purpose was specifically to punish agricultural labourers (who were in short supply after the famines, wars and plagues of preceding decades) who demanded higher wages or refused to work in the fields.  Stocks were also used as a punishment for vagabonds, drunks and stealers of  deadwood from hedges amongst others.

The Yew trees in the Painswick churchyard are interesting too - supposedly there were 99, planted in 1779 to ward off evil and legend has it that the 100th tree won't grow because the devil kills it off.  However, at the last count there were 120 and every August they are carefully trimmed, with the cuttings being sent to Germany where the poisonous extract is used to make a cancer killing drug.