he laughter and
derision of the crowd. Four hours having passed, Tuck was released, and
by a little stratagem on the part of the police, he escaped without
being interfered with by the crowd."

Attendance and repairing stocks formed quite important items in old
parish accounts. A few entries drawn from the township account-books of
Skipton, may be reproduced as examples:--

s. d.
April 16th, 1763.--For taking up a man and setting in ye stocks 2 0

March 27th, 1739.--For mending stocks--wood and iron work 9 6

July 12th, 1756.--For pillory and stocks renewing 3 6

March 25th, 1776.--Paid John Lambert for repairing the stocks 5 6

March 25th, 1776.--Paid Christ. Brown for repairing the stocks 4 6

During their later years, the Skipton stocks were used almost solely on
Sundays. A practice prevailed at Skipton similar to the one we have
described at Beverley. "At a certain stage in the morning service at the
church," writes Mr. Dawson, the local historian, "the churchwardens of
the town and country parishes withdrew, and headed by the old beadle
walked through the streets of the town. If a person was found drunk in
the streets, or even drinking in one of the inns, he was promptly
escorted to the stocks, and impounded for the remainder of the morning.
An imposing personage was the beadle. He wore a cocked hat, trimmed, as
was his official coat, with gold, and he carried about with him in
majestic style a trident staff. 'A terror to evildoers' he certainly
was--at any rate, to those of tender years."[39] The churchwardens not
infrequently partook of a slight refreshment during their Sunday morning
rounds, and we remember seeing in the police reports of a Yorkshire town
that some highly respectable representatives of the Church had been
fined for drinking at an inn during their tour of inspection.

[Illustration: _From a Photo by A. Whitford Anderson, Esq., Watford._

STOCKS AND WHIPPING-POST, ALDBURY.]

"At Bramhall, Cheshire," says Mr. Alfred Burton, to whom we are indebted
for several illustrations and many valuable notes in this book, "the
stocks were perfect till 1887, when the leg-stones were unfortunately
taken away, and cannot now be found. Thomas Leah, about 1849, was the
last person put into them. He went to the constable and asked to be
placed in the stocks, a request that was granted, and he r