Wandering near St Paul’s cathedral on Tuesday, I was intrigued to discover the following organisation:
As any students of the history of corporal punishment will know, the primary line of business of the Scottish tawse makers (John J Dick, McRostie and others) was saddlery.
I’m given to wonder what emphasis the Worshipful Company placed on their sideline: were there hushed sub-committees debating the ideal dimensions of school straps, discussing what types of leather to use? Did they, perhaps, have an annual celebratory dinner in the Hall – with a toast: “To hands chastised and bottoms sore”?
Maybe they were commissioned to supply those painful leather goods to all the royal kingdoms of Europe. And for one purpose only. To be used on the bare bottoms of naughty elegant ladies.