Tawse
Cromarty Courthouse Museum

The tawse is a leather strip with a split end that was used as a punishment mainly in Scottish Schools.

Its proper name of the tawse was rarely used as it was usually referred to as the ‘strap’ or the ‘belt’. It was used to strike children on the palm of an outstretched hand or sometimes on the buttocks. The hand was usually held in front of the class as a deterrent to others. Anecdotal sources suggest the punishment was administered to boys more often than girls.

This example was found in a house renovation in Cromarty and was probably used in the nineteenth century in Cromarty School. The tawse became illegal for use in schools in 1988.