Punishment by Pillory was ended by an Act of Parliament on 30 June 1837. The pillory generally consisted of a wooden frame, erected on a scaffolding, with holes and folding boards for the admission of the head and hands of him whom it was desired to render thus publicly infamous. It was used for people who committed moral & political crimes, they had garbage thrown at them by the public.
It is likely that a number of our ancestors may have suffered this punishment if they had been convicted of dishonest trading or political dishonesty.
Today this has been replaced by Punishment by Tabloid Newspapers.