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The true history of
the Lochgelly Tawse
(AKA School Belt or The Strap)
By Margaret J Dick (daughter of John J
Dick & granddaughter of George W Dick)
Part 1 - Memories:
If you're my age or older
than the memory probably makes you wince and fills you
with indignant feelings about the unfairness of this punishment,
for with large class sizes teachers seldom had time to
listen far less understand their pupils actions, things
were far worse in my fathers time at least we were only
belted when we disobeyed the rules, they were beaten for
not understanding the lesson, how excruciating pain to
the palm of your hands could help the brain absorb information
is beyond me. You'll have guessed by now that I think
the belt has well and truly had it's day, for humankind
to develop we must stop beating each other and I look
forward to that day. However great interest still exists
in this subject and none of the other websites have it
quite right so here's The true history of the Lochgelly
Tawse.
The Scottish poet Alexander
Smart (died 1866) Writing of his school days in Montrose,
he describes the day he fell foul of his dominie, Mr Norval.
"Sixty lashes with the leather thongs on my right hand,
inflicted with all the severity of a tyrant's wrath, made
me scream in agony of desperation. My pitiless tormentor,
unmoved by the sight of my hand sorely lacerated and swollen
to twice its natural size, threatened to cut my tongue
if I continued to complain and, so saying, laid hold on
a pair of scissors and inflicted a deep wound on my lip."
With sadistic beatings
of this kind occurring in Scottish schools, its not surprising
that parent's complained. Sir Walter Scott Writing in
his journal, December 13, 1826. Attended a meeting of
Edinburgh Academy directors to discuss flogging. "I am
an enemy to corporal punishment, but there are many boys
who will not attend without it. It is an instant and irresistible
motive and I love boys' heads too much to spoil them at
the expense of their opposite extremity. Then when children
feel an emancipation on this point, we may justly fear
they loose the bonds of discipline altogether. I was indifferently
well beaten at school, but I am now quite certain that
twice as much discipline would have been well bestowed."
The Education (Scotland)
Act 1872 made education available to all children from
5 to 13 years. No longer was education the preserve of
a select few, mainly boys. A vast school building programme
began and over the next few decades large numbers of schools
were built and teachers trained the result was large class
sizes learning by rote. Silence, obedience and hard work
were expected and often enforced by the liberal use of
corporal punishment.
The ' tawse' the name is
derived from the method used to cure the hide known as
'Tawing' Chambers Scots dictionary definition: Tawse,
Taws, a leather strap cut into thongs at one end, for
the use of schoolmasters to punish with, to whip, scourge,
belabour. Tawse-swasher, one who uses the Tawse. Tawse-taes,
the thongs at the end of a Tawse. Tawrds, a schoolmaster's
Tawse.
Over the next hundred years
or so it would be called many things (often unprintable)
Toosh, tag, tash, scudge, scud, the leather, the belt,
the strap and of course after 1884 The Lochgelly.
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