Whipping at the Cart's Tail

The Punishment
The victim would be tied to the back of a cart and forced to walk along behind the cart as he was whipped.  Whether male or female, the victim would be stripped to the waist before the whipping began.  The number of lashes (times whipped) and the distance traveled varied from crime to crime. 

A commonly used whip was called the Cat O’ Nine Tails.  It generally had nine thin straps, rather than one large one.  Sometimes the ends were tipped with lead or glass.​

The Crimes
According to legal documents from the 18th century, this was a common punishment for thieves and Quaker women who spoke publicly of their religious beliefs. 

​In 1662 three Quaker women were sentenced to be lashed ten times each in eleven different towns in the middle of winter.  On arrival at the third town the local deputy cancelled the punishment and got the women to a doctor before the punishment could kill them.