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The
School Belt Past and Present
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Description
Of The Lochgelly Tawse
The belt was 20 odd inches long with 2 or 3 tails at the punishment end and varied between 3/16 to 3/8 of an inch thick, that's a little more than 1/2 a metre long and 4.5 to 9.5 mm thick for those of you thinking in new money. What the teachers liked about it was it's firmness, it would not wrap around the hand when used and it was well made with no sharp edges. In short it would hurt like hell but not cause any permanent damage or risk cutting the hand, so the little dears would not bleed on their jotters.
Chambers Scots dictionary definition: Tawse, Taws, a leather strap cut into thongs at one end, for the use of schoolmasters to punish with, to whip, scourge, belabour. Tawse-swasher, one who uses the Tawse. Tawse-taes, the thongs at the end of a Tawse. Tawrds, a schoolmaster's Tawse. Where can I buy a Lochgelly Tawse?
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