Birch used in the Isle of Man Prison, Victoria Road, Douglas
Date made: mid-late 20th century
Description: This object, known as 'the Birch' was used for the punishment of young male offenders, in prisons or police stations. Flogging with the Birch could be ordered as a judicial punishment by a court. In the Isle of Man it was traditionally the job of Police cadets to make up the Birch using fresh branches (new Birches were always needed, as the branches once old and dry would be no use as they became too brittle). There were regulations covering the thickness of the birch twigs which could be used as well as the length and number, and new police recruits would need to learn this as well as regulations covering the force with which the birch could be applied to the offender.
The Birch consists of a number of young branches from a birch tree, bound together with fibre to form a handle.
Originally a punishment in public schools and the Royal Navy, the birch was later adopted as a civil punishment. In the United Kingdom the punishment was abolished in 1948, whilst the Isle of Man aroused notoriety by retaining it until 1976, the last jurisdiction in Europe to continue to use it.
Measurements: 120 x 16 x 4 cm
Materials: fibre: vegetable, wood
Object name: birch
Collection: Social History Collection
ID Number: 1989-0187
The Manx birchings should be brought back just as they were administered during the 1960s/70s by uniformed officers. This would soon reduce the criminal acts. - Wormly Report this
I agree with Wormly. No one likes physical punishment and I am convinced that even one birching would reduce crime in this country. Most people these days dismiss the Bible but it says in Proverbs, "Spare the rod and you spoil the child." - Silaw Report this