Ball and Chain
Date1830
Credit LineTransfer from the London and Middlesex Historical Society, 1958
Object number1958.001.311
Label TextThe Middlesex County Jail used this heavy iron ball and chain in the 1830s and beyond. Reserved for the most troublesome male prisoners, the device hindered movement, restricted pace, and made escape attempts more difficult. An 1888 schedule of punishments for Canadian penitentiaries listed the ball and chain as one of several possible punishments for male convicts guilty of breaking prison rules. Its use could be combined with a diet of bread and water as well as sleeping on a hard bed with or without covers. Other punishments included flogging and solitary confinement.
NameBall and Chain
CopyrightImage © Toni Hafkenscheid
