The Pillory of Les Brenets

The pillory of the Brenets, Les Brenets
Elegantly carved and with the date of 1621 engraved on the base, this column was part of the pillory of the Brenets. This pillory consisted of two columns (the second has disappeared) and was located on the sloping ground near the college.
In past centuries, the pillory is used for the execution of light punishments (drunkenness, adultery, slander ...). The convicts are tied to it by the straitjacket, the metal collar that encloses their neck, or locked in the turnstile (a kind of rotating cage). This notorious punishment exposes them to the gaze and ridicule of the public.
Blood crimes and certain robberies are punished by death, by beheading, hanging, rolling, strangulation or burning at the stake. Executions take place in public. Torture is often used to extract confessions. In the Principality of Neuchâtel, as everywhere in Europe, justice is strict.
In 1815, the King of Prussia, shocked by this system, banned torture. In 1817, he extended the right of pardon and made the death penalty much rarer. It was finally abolished in 1854. As for the Brenets' pillory, it was overturned in 1842.
Text / Source: Ville du Locle Chancellerie Communale, Le Locle
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