When Was the Thumbscrew Used?

The thumbscrew is a torture instrument

which was first used in medieval Europe. It is a simple vice, sometimes with protruding studs on the interior surfaces. The victim's thumbs or fingers were placed in the vice and slowly crushed.

Who invented the thumbscrew?

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.

What was the crime for thumb screws?

Thumbscrews. During the Medieval times inflicting pain and torture was an accepted form of punishment or interrogation. The cruel and pitiless torturers were induced to inflict the horrors of torture or punishment, including the Thumbscrews, on the pitiful prisoners.