Ducking stool
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Ducking stools were chairs formerly used as punishment towards women during witch trials in England and Scotland. (TV: The Witchfinders) It was also used as a punishment for "scolding" or "backbiting". (GAME: The Gunpowder Plot [+]Loading...["The Gunpowder Plot (video game)"])
The victim was typically tied to a chair and hung from ropes above a pond or river, then lowered into the water. Accused witches were dunked into a river to see if they were innocent or guilty. If they floated, they were considered guilty and executed. If they sank, they were innocent, but died of drowning. (GAME: The Gunpowder Plot [+]Loading...["The Gunpowder Plot (video game)"])
The Thirteenth Doctor was unable to save Mother Twiston from being tried as a witch and drowned. the Doctor herself was later denounced as a witch and chained to a ducking stool, but ultimately escaped from her chains after being submerged. (TV: The Witchfinders)
