Branding

[Subdeacon Joe]

“Made by the British Army during the English Civil War (1641-1651).
Initials ‘CR’ surrounding a crown. This is presumed to refer to ‘Carolus
Rex’ – King Charles I. This tool would have been used to mark
‘ownership’ of Royalist army deserters. The metal spikes on the hand are
blunt. Perhaps they are dulled through use or perhaps it is deliberate
to inflict more pain. However, they were likely heated first to burn the
imprint in. Branding was abolished in 1829 with the exception of army
deserters. The mark was then tattooed on the body, not branded with
irons. The practice was totally abandoned in 1879.”

 

 

 

 

Wonder how that would go over today?

 

[Bama Red]

I can think of some folks that I could use that on......

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

Wonder how it was applied.

[J-BAR #18287]

Wonder how it was applied.

 

 

Looks like a screw shaft on the backside; might have been mashed into the hand with a big wingnut.

 

Dang!

[Three Foot Johnson]

The backing on that thing has the appearance of wood rather than metal and the outline of the hand is made of rather thin gauge metal held on with only three thin wire clips. Even if the backing is steel, it appears to me to be a tattooing device rather than a branding device. The sharpened points would not have held heat long enough to burn a decent brand and sufficient heat to do so would have rapidly dulled the points.

The Nazi's originally used a similar device to tattoo ID numbers on prisoner's arms; a holder that held number blocks consisting of sharp needles outlining the numbers. The prisoner's arm was held down on a table, the device placed against it, and given a hard whack with a mallet. The device was wrenched free and ink rubbed into the bleeding wound. It proved impractical, as bones were sometimes broken, tendons & muscles smashed, needles stuck in the flesh or bone, etc., so a conventional tattoo gun was put into use instead. The above pictured device appears to be a similar tool - a man's hand would be held down on a flat surface, the tool place over it, then pressed down or smacked with a mallet with sufficient force to puncture the flesh. The metal band around the device would be a depth gauge preventing the hand from being permanently smashed and crippled.

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

Lovely!

[Utah Bob #35998]

I can think of some people who need a Dumba** brand right in the middle of the forehead.

[Subdeacon Joe]

The backing on that thing has the appearance of wood rather than metal and the outline of the hand is made of rather thin gauge metal held on with only three thin wire clips. Even if the backing is steel, it appears to me to be a tattooing device rather than a branding device. The sharpened points would not have held heat long enough to burn a decent brand and sufficient heat to do so would have rapidly dulled the points.

The Nazi's originally used a similar device to tattoo ID numbers on prisoner's arms; a holder that held number blocks consisting of sharp needles outlining the numbers. The prisoner's arm was held down on a table, the device placed against it, and given a hard whack with a mallet. The device was wrenched free and ink rubbed into the bleeding wound. It proved impractical, as bones were sometimes broken, tendons & muscles smashed, needles stuck in the flesh or bone, etc., so a conventional tattoo gun was put into use instead. The above pictured device appears to be a similar tool - a man's hand would be held down on a flat surface, the tool place over it, then pressed down or smacked with a mallet with sufficient force to puncture the flesh. The metal band around the device would be a depth gauge preventing the hand from being permanently smashed and crippled.

 

I was thinking along the same lines. And gunpowder rubbed in to make the tattoo.

[Utah Bob #35998]

Or maybe it's a cookie cutter.

[Three Foot Johnson]

It would be absolutely impossible to heat just the points sufficiently to imprint a brand and if the entire tool were heated sufficiently to accomplish this, the whole hand would have went up in flames. Definitely a tattoo device.

 

Then again, like Utah Bob said, it would have made a great cookie cutter too... or maybe a hardtack mold.

Edited October 27, 2013 by J Bar Binks, #47015

[Utah Bob #35998]

Gingerbread hand!

[The Shoer 27979]

I can think of some people who need a Dumba** brand right in the middle of the forehead.

 

 

 

Hey quit talking about me like that