The Rack is a torture device created in Medieval Britain. It consists of an oblong, rectangular frame usually made of wood. This frame would be slightly raised off the ground, with a roller at either one or both ends. There would be a fixed bar at one end to which the victim’s legs would be fastened, and on the other end, a movable bar to which the hands would be tied. A handle and ratchet would be attached to the top roller.
The torturer would turn the handle thus increasing tension on the chains and pulling the victim’s body in opposite directions. Their body would initially be stretched, but as the torturer turned the handle, limbs would be dislocated and eventually could even be torn from their sockets.
The victim would not only feel the intense pain caused by the rack, but as bones dislocated, they would hear the loud crack of snapping cartilage, ligaments or bones.
Use of the rack was mostly intended to extract confessions from the victim. If the victim withheld information, or refused to confess, the torturer would continue to stretch more and more. Sometimes the torturer would force the victim to watch others be stretched, hoping the fear would entice them to talk.
As time went on, the torturers found even more cruel ways to torture their victims. Spikes would be installed into the rack that would penetrate the victim’s back. If they stayed silent for too long, they could be rendered handicapped, or even dead as their spinal cord would be severed.