The Spanking Writers

Rev Jenkins’s ears pricked up with interest the other morning, whilst I was indulging in a few moments of guilty pleasure. See, I was early for a meeting in central London and needed breakfast – and the Oxford Circus McD’s just beckoned me in.

Anyway… There I was, quietly reading the paper, when the lass at the next table commented to her mother that, “I was really pleased when I got an A in RS last year: I’d have done anything to beat her.”

Anything? Really?

They’d been set a test that would count towards their final grades. A multiple-choice exam: mark the correct answer from the four options for each of a hundred questions, and leave their completed answer sheet in the chaplain’s pigeonhole outside the staff common room by a particular time.

It was easy to print off an extra form, to add her rival’s name to the top, to substitute the form that the other girl had already left for one full of so many incorrect answers. Only the subterfuge would have been discovered, when the chaplain showed the wronged girl where she’d gone wrong, and why she’d only scored 40% rather than her usual 80%-plus.

See, she’d kept a copy of her answer sheet. The deceit was quickly discovered, and the class asked to own up.

Shamefaced, the culprit would report to the vestry after evensong in the school chapel. She’d have no excuses, only apologies and regrets. The good Reverend would take out the tawse more habitually used when girls misbehaved during use in choir practice, and strap her hands until she cried. And then he’d hug her and send her off to apologise to her rival.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I popped over to Germany last week. And, dear readers, you’ll be pleased to learn that I found the heaviest-looking, most beautifully-crafted belt *ever* in a small Stuttgart side-street shop. I was in a state of some rapture – and that was before I read the label:

Solidly Scottish from belt to buckle

Since 1887, McRostie saddles, bridles & harnesses were cut, stitched and styled better than they needed to be. They were designed to last longer than their owners.

Your McRostie belt is made using the same craftsmanship from a bridle leather identifcal to that which once withstood the pulling power of Scottish workhorses.

Does the name ‘McRostie’ mean anything to you? Well, it does to me, as something of a scholar of spanking implements. You may well have heard of John J. Dick of Lochgelly, the most famous tawse maker – but various other saddlers competed for the school strap business, and McRostie’s of Glasgow was one of the more famous. (There’s an excellent article at Saxon Web on the history of the tawse, if you’re interested in learning more).

McRostie! I just had to invest…

Later, I found more technical details about my new prize possession on the shop’s English website – “The stitched saddle leather belt comprises three different layers, whereby the 1.5 mm thick outer leather is stitched to the 4 mm thick leather lining. These belts have a total thickness of 7 mm.” And it even has a photo of the manufacturing process, doubtless identical to that used for tawses in days gone by:

Any volunteers to experience a taste of the real Scotland? Or have all of the girls of my acquaintance suddenly taken vows of good behaviour over the course of reading this post?

The saddler’s own website also intrigues, with its section on Special Services:

Do you have your own design? Or something special you would like made up? If you have, we would be delighted to discuss your requirements with you.

I wonder…? Dare I write to them and enquire about a specialist order comprising some of their older product lines?