Bent for the Cane: five schoolgirl spanking tales

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The Court's reasoning here against the British Government's submission seems to me pretty feeble (the UK judge on the Court wrote a dissenting opinion on this point) and one cannot help wondering how they would wriggle out of it now if someone were to claim that their views in favour of c.p. also constituted "philosophical convictions" and that they were therefore being denied an education in accordance therewith, since no schools are now allowed to use any corporal punishment. [UPDATE: This is more or less what later happened in Williamson, the "Christian schools" case, see above.]

This is the legislation voted into law on 25 March 1998, which took effect the following year. An equivalent law for Scotland came into force in 2000. Despite Lindsey's reaction the fifth stroke followed after the now familiar pause. Poor Lindsey! This time there was an almighty yell, sounding really loud even through the closed door. I heard thudding sounds and Lindsey's voice, raised and tearful. There was a longer pause, when all I could hear was raised voices, then it went quiet again, but no sixth stroke followed. Covers the UK only, with a major emphasis on school CP but also some interesting material about judicial and military juvenile punishments of the past. Includes an excellent gallery of historical drawings and numerous other illustrations as well as some well-chosen historical texts. And one more thing. Were this to be a single, never too be repeated punishment, it would hardly serve as an adequate ongoing deterrent, and therefore-", with a pause she retrieved a blue exercise book from her drawer and slid it across the desk. He noted she had already printed the words 'revision diary' in capital letters upon its cover.

DOCUMENTS:

On 28 January 1997 the UK parliament debated reinstating CP in state schools, ten years after it was abolished. The move failed, but the debate is not without interest.

At thirty-five years of age she could still clearly remember the corridors of Saint Frances and the dark wood paneling outside the headmistress's study. It stretched from the dull parquet floor to around shoulder height, whereupon it gave way to insipid magnolia paint and windows that were set high in the walls, requiring the use of a hooked wooden pole to open and close their spring loaded catches. Sophie had not consciously planned to push his embarrassment any further than this. It had never been her prime objective for the lesson, but observing the shame and discomfort this was obviously causing for him, and still feeling irritated by his moment of defiance, however fleeting it might have been, she was determined to make things even more uncomfortable for him. By the late 1960s the traditional "six of the best" had given way in most places to milder penalties of only two or three strokes as the norm, though to some extent this must have been compensated for by the fact that, with the advent of synthetic textiles, trouser material became significantly thinner in the 1960s. Underwear, too, got briefer and more lightweight as fashions changed. Other things being equal, each stroke of the cane was probably therefore sharper in its effect than in the days when trousers were made of wool and underpants of heavy flannel.

Mrs Seaton passed me a box of tissues and I took one and tried to dry my eyes. She warned me to behave myself in future and told me that if I didn't like the cane from her I would like it a lot less from the headmaster. I think we can probably view this case as the absolutely final and definitive nail in the coffin of school CP in Britain. Now she had a cane that she could use without having to wait for the water soaking as required for the rattan cane. And it is equally as painful. She’s mentioned about getting a Delrin cane too but thankfully she hasn’t yet. If I don’t find out how evil a Delrin cane is, that suits me just fine. I yelled out in agonised protest, trying to let the teacher know how much she was hurting me. She knew.

She got eight strokes, Marling. I don't think that young lady will be sitting down comfortably for a long time. But she was only due to get six strokes. An extract from the ubiquitous polymath's memoir Moab Is My Washpot (1997). He was often caned at Stouts Hill prep school around 1970, but harbours no grudges. He takes the view, which I tend to share, that corporal punishment, in the great scheme of things, is not actually a very important issue one way or the other. But it has now become "so culturally loaded as to be almost impossible to inspect", with all the talk of "abuse" causing "hysteria, madness and stupidity in almost everybody". Other kinds of punishment were more damaging, he suggests. You can have a dozen if you like," Thomas called out cheerfully from half way up the tree, relishing the opportunity to demonstrate his bra But it was not to be. Towards the end of assembly the senior mistress announced that she would be punishing a fourth year girl for smoking. She read the name out: "Lindsey Rushworth, form 4B, wait for me outside my office." As far as is known, corporal punishment was nowhere systematically made a matter of choice either for parents or students, as is nowadays routine in some American schools. However, there was one element of "voluntary CP" at some state boys' schools, like Maidenhead Grammar School (as also at some independent schools, such as Emanuel School in London), where it was understood that a student who had accumulated other punishments, such as detentions or impositions, could present himself at the headmaster's office and apply to be "swished" instead. The request, if granted, would be fulfilled forthwith, and the slate thereby wiped clean. The beneficiary would emerge sore and stinging, but with suddenly a lot more free time. This optional facility was known in some schools as "getting your detentions caned off".In my own personal view as a non-lawyer, I find some of the argumentation quite difficult to follow. Much of it seems rather subjective, and I can't entirely avoid the feeling when reading judgments of this kind that the judges are, to put the matter in demotic terms, "just playing with words" or "making it up as they go along". More controversial is the question whether it was appropriate to use the slipper as a motivational tool to encourage boys to study. The practice was well established and the final week of each term was commonly referred to as "sore bottom week". Each teacher set us a test in his or her subject and boys who did not attain the pass mark had to line up at the front of the class and bend over one at a time for the slipper. There are arguments for and against the use of corporal punishment for that purpose. All that I can say is that I know from experience that it is a very effective way of persuading students to revise for exams.

The first stroke bit deep into my naked bottom, drawing an agonized gasp. Each subsequent impact raised the level of sting and throb to new highs. I only received eight strokes as, at that point, I could no longer control my bowels and defecated massively on the living room floor, much to "Auntie's" disgust. A withering invective followed, with much made of my bodily weakness and ineffectual character. Of course," she had continued contemplatively, "I won't deny it's rare that a boy in his final year would find himself subject to the threat of corporal punishment, but I assure you there's nothing in the rulebook that says I cannot discipline a member of my tutor group in whatever manner I deem to be the most appropriate." Look, I know it's not always an easy transition from the rules and hand-holding of the junior years. All I want is to see you really focus on your grades for a few months. I've tried encouragement, I've tried cajoling, I've discussed your work with your parents, and I seem to remember we even resorted to a couple of Saturday morning homework detentions. Quite frankly there are very few options remaining." What do the Friends Reunited anecdotal recollections tell us about the nature, distribution and incidence of corporal punishment in English schools in the 1960s and 1970s? A feature article including a table of "The top 50 CP schools".

Caning Material

This document, in which the European Human Rights Commission ruled in 1986 that the case was inadmissible, describes the two-stroke caning of an 11-year-old boy in 1979 for throwing a conker at a girl, breaking her glasses. The medical evidence was that the marks on his bottom were already fading by the following day. Note that the Commission emphasises that such a school caning in a headmaster's study is an entirely different matter from judicial birching of the kind considered in the Isle of Man case, reaffirming once again that corporal punishment is not per se necessarily contrary to the Human Rights Convention. However, in the end it was on a legal technicality (time limits expired) that the case was thrown out. Text of legislation prohibiting corporal punishment of any student, whether in a state or independent school, whose education is to any extent publicly funded. As far as I know, this is what the 1986 legislation already said, so perhaps this was just a consolidating act. In any case it has now been superseded by the following: The Debate on Corporal Punishment before the European Commission and European Court of Human Rights (1978-1998) A horrified lad discovers his first caning will come not from Headmaster, but the Assistant Head mistress. (Approximately 5,207 words. Originally published 1997-12.) Are you decent?" she asked a couple of minutes later, already knowing from her reflected view that he was busy with his tie. She turned her chair as soon as he replied and watched until he had pulled on his blazer and straightened the collar.