The Scavenger’s Daughter

During medieval times, torture was an acceptable method for extracting valuable information, or simply punishing those who were defiant. The Scavenger’s Daughter was one such instrument, designed during the reign of England’s Henry VIII by Sir Leonard Skevington, Lieutenant of the Tower of London.

Sir Leonard Skevington was the son of William Skeffington, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, and his first wife Margaret Digby. The device, as he designed it, was meant to complement the rack, also referred to as the “Duke of Exeter’s Daughter.” It was an A-frame metal rack, where the top point of the “A” was rounded for the neck, the cross of the “A” had two rounded areas, for the wrists, and the bottom of the “A” were shackles for the feet. Unlike the rack, which spread the body out, the Scavenger’s Daughter was designed to compress the body.

With the head, wrists, and ankles secured, the victim would then be compressed inward, from the sides by pushing the knees up into a sitting position, the head in the opposite direction. After a time, the compression would be so great, that blood would be forced from their nose and ears. 

One victim of the Scavenger’s Daughter was Thomas Cottam, an English Catholic priest and martyr from Lancashire. He suffered the torture twice before being sentenced to death and executed on May 30, 1582.

Perhaps the best known case of the Scavenger’s Daughter is that of Thomas Miagh. Thomas had been charged with being in contact with Irish rebels, and was subjected to the torture in the Tower of London. It is thought that his carving on the wall of the Beauchamp Tower could be related to the Scavenger’s Daughter. The carving read, “By toture straynge my truth was tried, yet of my libertie denied. 191. Thomas Miagh.”

The Scavenger’s Daughter is also known as Skevington’s gyves, Skeffington’s irons, the iron shackle, the Stork, or the Spanish A-frame. Today, you can find this device on display in the Tower of London.

Do medieval torture devices still arouse your curiosity? Check out the Iron Maiden – not just a heavy metal band.