racks (corporal punishment equipment)

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Scope note
Instruments of torture, consisting of a bedlike frame on which a victim was stretched by turning two rollers fastened at each end to the wrists and ankles. Introduced into the Tower of London about 1420 by the Duke of Exeter. Known colloquially as “The Duke of Exeter’s Daughter,” it was used to extract confessions and incriminating information. Similar devices were known in Ireland in the 17th century and later in Portugal.
racks
Accepted term: 27-Jan-2025