Those who have not enjoyed a Scottish education probably do not know much about the tawse. Imagination and misleading articles compound the confusion.
In Scottish schools the old fashioned word 'tawse; was practically unknown, or at any rate unused. The instrument was referred to, by pupils and teachers alike, as the strap or the belt. The strap has long been associated with Scottish schools and parents, whereas the cane is the most favoured weapon in England and Wales. There are exceptions to the general rule of course; the strap is not unknown in England, particularly in some schools in the Northeast and in Nottingham. Some Scottish institutions modelled on the English public schools always employed the cane; and the cane was certainly used in some state schools in Scotland, apparently at the discretion of the teacher, although this was some time ago.
Scottish teachers had much more freedom in the use of corporal punishment than their English colleagues. Whereas in most English schools caning was generally administered by the headmaster / mistress or their deputy (also housemaster and prefects in Public schools). In Scotland every teacher, as soon ash he or she was fully qualified, had the right to wield the strap and perhaps about 90% of them exercised that right. Far fewer disciplinary cases were referred to the headmaster / mistress, therefore, and belting was usually administered in the classroom immediately after the offence has been committed or discovered, rather than in the privacy of the headmaster's office, after some delay. (Belting sometimes happened just outside the classroom door, in the corridor. This was sometimes the case with women teachers who were afraid of missing their aim and perhaps hitting their own leg in front of the class.) On the other hand, the average Scottish strapping was probably much less severe than the average English caning, not because the tawse is any less severe a weapon, but because it was used more moderately for relatively trivial offences which would not attract corporal punishment at all in English schools. In my opinion, the most significant difference was that, teachers in Scotland were not required to keep a record of punishment. A practice almost universal South of the border. This meant that if a pupil was either unlucky or badly behaved, he / she could receive the strap several times in the one day from different teachers. It was also not uncommon to experience 'mass belting', where for one reason or another a teacher would have a whole class lined up to be belted. The only occasion that I know of where a record of punishment was kept, happened in 1972. Teachers in Edinburgh schools, primary and secondary, were required to record all corporal punishments for a survey. The total number of beatings in one term topped the 10,000 mark, and record keeping was discontinued.
The strap was definitely seen by some as a teaching aid, rather than an instrument of punishment and was often kept on top of the teacher's desk for all to see. Most straps are made with a hole in the handle for hanging on a hook, but this was rare as I saw only one teacher in the 60's who sat at the old-fashioned type of high desk and kept her strap on a hook screwed into the side. During the school day, when out of the classroom, most teachers carried their strap with them, women using their handbag and men carrying it over their shoulder, under their jacket, some had a pocket in the sleeve of their academic gown, which they used.
To the best of my knowledge teachers in Scotland, in modern times, were not officially allowed to punish anywhere else but on the hands. Over the years I have heard various accounts from people who claim to have been strapped on the backside. In my time at school I only ever saw this happen once, and so, consider it a rare occurrence. When I was in my last year of primary school (aged 11 or 12), five boys were caught stealing crisps from a store cupboard. They were all summoned to the head teacher's (a woman in her early forties) classroom. In front of the whole class they admitted their crime. Four of the boys (aged 10) were then given six strokes each (six strokes were rare in a primary school) and told that they would be given a letter to take home to their parents informing them of the misdeeds of their offspring. The teacher then pulled her chair to the side of her desk and called the fifth boy to her. He was a younger brother of one of the other four (aged 8 or 9) She then pulled him over her knee, and holding her two-tail Lochgelly about the middle, she proceeded to leather his backside at some length before letting him up. Although a mixed class witnessed this, and I have no doubt that some parents got to hear of it, I heard of no complaints or irate parents.
Originally every local saddler turned out a tawse when requested to do so by a parent or teacher. Gradually the prowess of certain saddlers at making these instruments of correction became well known among the teaching fraternity until, at one time, practically all straps were specially ordered from John dick in Lochgelly. (At the start of term, there were always price lists / order forms from John Dick in the staff room). Straps were produced in a large scale in Lochgelly for over one hundred years with George Dick making an identical item before his son John. the town and its product became so linked that its name is often used as a nickname for the strap.
All the 'Lochgellies were carefully hand-cut from top quality leather and expertly finished, for while dealing out the required amount of stinging discomfort they were to on no account leave any lasting mark on the recipient. Apart from the care which went into their production, all the Lochgelly straps were graded so that teachers could select the strap most suitable for the age and size of their pupils. Over a dozen different models were available from the Dick 'stable', ranging from a lightweight, two tailed strap to punish the youngest children in the primary school, to extra-heavy, three-tailed versions for use on the toughest of teenage boys.
While most teachers had to buy their own strap, those working in Glasgow schools were supplied with a standard strap approved by the local education authority. These straps were made by 'Leckie & Graham' or 'J. G. Stevenson' both of Glasgow. These straps were three-tailed, about 610mm long, 40mm wide, 6-8mm thick with the tails being cut to a length of 250mm, this being the average length for tails on a school strap. These straps also had an unusual 'handle' shape cut into the leather at the non-business end.
During its long history the design of the tawse changed little except that after perhaps the 1930's, it tended to be slightly shorter and was divided into fewer tails, most teacher being content with two or three. Whether two or three thongs were more effective was, in fact, a matter of long dispute among teachers, but most agreed that while the broad thick tawse made most noise, it was the long narrow one which pupils feared most. It was also common knowledge among both staff and pupils that it was not the teacher who used most force when strapping who produced the maximum effect, but the one who knew exactly when to flick her wrist so that the tails struck home with that added sting.
But while administering the strap was an art, avoiding its full effects was an even greater one. Few modern pupils will have heard of their grandfather's ideas. Such as placing a horsehair across the palm or rubbing the palm with a raw onion to cut down the pain. Other boys and girls placed their faith in spitting on their hands, or, if lucky enough, heating their fingers and palms on a radiator before receiving their punishment. While pulling the hand away, so that it appears to have been well-smacked but is in actual fact almost unscathed, was a skill of which not a few boys were very proud; being caught at this would usually bring forth, "Keep still, take that stroke again."
As I mentioned earlier, although J. J. Dick was probably the best known, there were other fine makers, of which I have many examples. These include 'R. Philp & Son', also of Lochgelly although I am unsure of when they were in production. Their straps were longer than average at about 660mm, 30mm wide, 6-8mm thick, (I have seen heavier) with two tails cut to a length of 250mm. These straps also differed from others in that instead of a small round or oval shaped hole for hanging up, they had a slot 40mm long, cut out at the end.
Another Glasgow maker is 'P. McRostie & Co.' who I am led to believe will still make a strap to any design if asked. I have two three-tail versions of their own design. Both are fairly light at 4 and 5mm thick, 45mm wide, 560mm long with tails cut unusually long at 325mm. Mr. Borak, a shoe-repairer of St. Stevens Street in Edinburgh is still producing straps of various designs and sizes, some with as many as six tails. (There is usually a selection in the shop window). Unfortunately these are all around 5mm thick as it is difficult to obtain heavy hides now. At one time makers used very dense hide from a cow's belly, but in modern times these animals are slaughtered younger, giving a softer, thinner hide. I have been told that at one time J. J. Dick imported buffalo hide from the United States. This appears to be true, as there is a marked difference in the leather used for their straps after about 1970. In fact after the raising of the school leaving age (R. O.S. L.A.) from 15 years to 16 years in about 1970, some teachers felt that their straps would not be heavy enough. (Surveys show those pupils opting to stay until 18 were seldom in need of Punishment). John Dick obliged by producing a strap at the top of his price range, which was double thickness, presumably because he could not obtain thick enough leather for a heavier strap. This strap became known as a 'R. O.S. L.A. strap' and was in fact two medium weight straps bonded together so that it had finished leather on both sides. This fearsome strap was up to about 15mm in thickness. Fortunately I was never on the receiving end of one of these straps. At the other end of the scale on the John Dick price list, was a miniature strap. These were two tail, 315mm long, 25mm wide, 5mm thick with the tails cut to a length of 130mm. I can only guess that these were for use on small children. Although the original Lochgellies were stamped 'M', 'H', or 'XH' on the handle, this did not guarantee a specific thickness or weight, as no two hides are the same.
John Dick's clients were advised to store their new strap as flat as possible, and if it had to be stored in a confined space, coil it rather than fold it over. In the 70's he went as far as rubber stamping in red ink, 'Important: Do not bend or roll Straps'.
Occasionally when I find an old strap it will have the owner's name and perhaps a school written on the underside. The best example of this, that I have seen, was an extremely old three-tail of unknown maker, on which was inscribed in beautiful copperplate handwriting, 'A tonic for ailing and wayward scholars', above the tails, with the teacher's name on the underside. One of the wittier ones was inscribed 'OMO' by the teacher, who told the class, it puts brightness into little boys.
Straps made for parents by local saddlers and shoe repairers tended to be thinner, shorter and broader, although school types were used by some. As a guide they were usually 400mm to 500mm long, 50mm to 80mm wide with four, five or even six tails and perhaps 4mm to 5mm thick. This was entirely suitable for six on each hand and / or a trouser down thrashing.
I have often been asked about the weight of straps, which I find hard to determine. When buying a hide you are told the weight of the leather in ounces, (usually not more than 15oz), which is related directly to the thickness of the leather. (i. e. 12 oz is 5mm thick). However, this information is of no use once a tawse has been crafted, as size and thickness do not only determine the weight of a finished strap but also by the density of the leather. The weight stamps further compound this: ('M', 'H', 'XH',). I have seen straps by John Dick stamped 'M' which were as thick as others stamped 'H' and vice versa.
It is unusual to find a strap which has no tails cut into it. I have only come across two examples, both of which were used in schools. One was by an unknown maker, but name Lochgelly could just be made out on the stamp, the other was made by Hunter of Falkirk. I have only once seen a strap that has been altered to suit another purpose. This came from a woman primary school teacher who had two straps which I think were produced by an Airdrie maker. One strap was 640mm long, 40mm wide, (which is broad for a two-tail), and tails cut to a length of 285mm. Apart from the size, this strap was unusual because of the amount of tooling on the handle. The word 'TAWSE' was stamped in large letters perhaps 20mm high, a stamp closer to the tails read 'Genuine Cowhide Made in Scotland', with a small thistle design between the words. The altered strap had originally been identical to the strap I have just described, but this woman had cut the tail end off, leaving her with a small strap or paddle 270mm in length. She said that this was what she had used for smaller children, but did not say whether it was used on the hands or the bottom.
There seems to be a reluctance to 'warm the hands' because of the dangers. I think this is mistaken. Vigorous application of the cane across the hands can clearly cause damage, but Scottish style strapping does not. The essential difference is that the cane has to be applied at right angles to the fingers to be effective, while a strap is correctly applied along the length of the hand, i. e. parallel to the fingers.
A standard classroom punishment was a minimum of two strokes on the left (or non-writing hand) with a two or three tailed strap. The fiercely exquisite pain started to subside after about ten minutes and after an hour, only slight warmth remained. A severe punishment tended to be rather different. The instruction 'cross your hands' or 'both hands' usually preceded it, and was a sure indication that six or even eight stroke were on the way. Both hands were held out, one on top of the other with palms facing up and thumbs tucked it. After each stroke the hands were changed so that the strokes landed alternately on both hands. Also, with the hands both out, the sleeves were drawn back exposing the wrists. The last one or two strokes could be applied a couple of inches up them, so that the evidence of a disciplining could be seen by parents, (wrist marks did not fade before the day was out as did the reddening of the hands) perhaps bringing another dose. Another advantage of the 'crossed hands' method is that there was a lessening of the tendency to pull the hands away while the strap descended, and therefore punishment could be completed more quickly and with less embarrassment to both teacher and pupil.
Although I said earlier that perhaps 90% of teachers used the strap, when I think back on all the teachers that I had in both primary and secondary school, I can only remember one teacher who did not have a strap. She preferred to give out punishment essays, although it was not unknown for her to borrow a strap from another teacher, so she was obviously not totally against corporal punishment. I can remember that in 1972 or 1973 that everyone at the school was given a form for their parents asking if they had any objection to the use of the strap. The answer must have been a resounding 'NO' as it continued to be used.
In the early 1980's a disgruntled mother took her case to the European Court of Human Rights, as she could not get an assurance that her son would not be belted at school. By this time the Society of Teachers Opposed to Physical Punishment, (STOPP), seemed to be gaining some support. Eventually in 1982 the European Court outlawed the use of the strap. But it was not until 1987 that the Secretary of State for Scotland abolished it. Since then teachers at some schools have complained of in-discipline as a result of the ban. In actual fact most regions in Scotland had abolished the belt in 1982 and 1983 without a 'phase out' which caused massive discipline problems, so much so that in 1983 the BBC screened a current account programme titled 'Rebel Without a Tawse' with Sally Magnusson as the presenter. The programme started by showing a young woman teacher explaining how the belt was used. Using a heavy three tail Lochgelly she said. "You make sure that their cuff is pulled up to the edge of the wrist so that you don't injure their wrist when you belt them. Then you put the belt over your shoulder, you line yourself up in front of the kid, you make sure your leg is out of the way because it's very painful and you look pretty stupid if you hit your leg. You don't use and enormous movement from the shoulder, you just let the length of the belt follow through and you hit them." She then brings the belt down with some force on a table. "It was barbaric but it did work, and we don't have it now, and we're having enormous problems in the classroom. Problems sufficient to drive me out of teaching." The programme went on to talk to teachers, pupils, parents and politicians and the only people who seemed to be pleased that it had been abolished were the politicians and certainly not the pupils who said they would rather have the belt than punishment exercises or suspensions. The programme ends with Sally Magnusson summing up by saying whether we like it or not, the belt is gone, which she emphasises by dropping a strap into a playground litterbin.