The ducking stool also known as “engine of correction” has early origins but was popular in England and America in the 17th- into the early 19th centuries. It was designed for women, who were over opinionated, outwardly critical, slanderous, of ill repute, selling spirited liquor without a license, witchcraft, and known as "scolds". These women would be dunked in a nearby body of water as a public spectacle as punishment.

Historic Fredericksburg, Virginia was no exception and frequently used the ducking stool in the Rappahannock River. Listen to this episode here and visit my blog at rebelliouscorsets.com to learn more about this story.

*This podcast is making no claim to copyrighted material it is using for transformative purposes, such as commentary, news reporting, review, and criticism, which is protected under the Fair Use Doctrine, 17 U.S.C. § 107Sources:

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‌‌The Free Lance-Star. (1953, January 21). Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/paper/the-free-lance-star/4274/

‌Article clipped from The Free Lance-Star. (2004, July 3). Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-free-lance-star/185841056/

‌The Minneapolis Journal. (1912, December 23). Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/paper/the-minneapolis-journal/1660/

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‌Ainsworth Star-Journal and Brown County Democrat. (1950, January 26). Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/paper/ainsworth-star-journal-and-brown-county/24559/

‌The Portsmouth Star. (1905, August 19). Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/paper/the-portsmouth-star/32724/

‌The Daily News Leader. (1985, October 14). Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/paper/the-daily-news-leader/3736/

‌Ledger-Star. (1962, December 11). Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/paper/ledger-star/34383/

‌Article clipped from The Democratic Age. (1884, October 2). Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-democratic-age/185846680/

‌The statutes at large; : being a collection of all the laws of Virginia, from the first session of the legislature, in the year 1619. : Published pursuant to ... v.2. (2025). HathiTrust. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hxh5u4&seq=1&q1=brabling&start=1The Daily Star. (1918, September 17). Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/paper/the-daily-star/29175/