When Was the Thumb Screw Invented?

Gen Thomas Dalyell became infamous during the mid-17th century when he supressed the Covenanters' uprising in Scotland. Nicknamed Bluidy Tam, he is thought to have been the first person to use thumbscrews to torture prisoners in this country.

When was the thumb screw used?

As late as the mid-18th century, the ex-slave Olaudah Equiano, in his autobiography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, documented the use of thumbscrews to torture slaves.

What crimes was the thumb screw used for?

The Thumbscrew was a tool that was commonly used for purposes of torture in medieval times. It was a simple torture device used to crush the fingers of the person to be tortured. The thumbscrew was a particularly effective torture tool for gaining confessions.