Explore Chillon Castle from pillory to post

The prison (room 9) is almost certainly the most famous room in Chillon Castle. It’s the setting for the poem ‘The Prisoner of Chillon’, written in 1816 by Lord Byron. However, this vast room with its gothic architecture is home to a whole host of other elements that pique the interest of our visitors.

One of these elements proves particularly popular with our younger visitors: the pillory – sometimes known as the justice post. It sits on the right-hand side of the prison, behind the first few pillars and right next to the rock on which the fortress was built.

In the Middle Ages, it was designed to publicly punish and humiliate people who had committed what were deemed to be fairly serious – but not too serious – crimes. This could include, for example, using false weights, giving false testimony, or blaspheming against God or their lord.

The model on display at Chillon has a metal ring that was used to attach the accused to the post by the neck – temporarily of course (for anywhere between a few hours and several days depending on the severity of the crime). Pillories such as these were usually positioned in a public place so that people could come and make fun of the unfortunate soul locked up in them.

It all goes back to the 19th century. At the time, the owner of the castle, the canton of Vaud, decided to establish a museum of the Middle Ages right here at Chillon. To do this, they needed to start acquiring items, amongst which were instruments of torture.

As part of the acquisition process, the castle management team worked with antique dealers who sell interesting items in their collection to museum curators.

The Chillon pillory was acquired in late 1888 by an antique dealer from Vevey. It came from Kyburg Castle, in the canton of Zurich and can be dated back to the ‘modern era’. This means it was undoubtedly manufactured in either the 17th or the 18th century, but we’re not sure exactly when.

It was first placed in one of Chillon’s defence towers in the mountain-side wing of the castle, before being moved to the prison in 1960.

People are often confused by how the pillory worked. Certain young visitors think it was  , thanks to the heavy (but short!) chain attached to the collar. It’s become a real talking point, inviting lots of questions. So, it works as a brilliant cultural mediation tool, perfectly illustrating some of the aspects of medieval and contemporary justice

Don’t be scared to delve into the Chillon prison to check out the pillory. But, be on your best behaviour… or you might end up chained up yourself!