FINEST
QUALITY GENUINE 24 INCH VINTAGE 2-TAIL LOCHGELLY TAWSE BY JOHN J. DICK CIRCA
1950
This is a superb example of vintage 2-Tail Lochgelly Tawse made by
the Scotland's most famous maker John J Dick dating from around 1950.
The condition of this piece is amazing; the leather is
perfect with no cracking at all. Of course it does have a patina from use and a
few surface marks, which are entirely commensurate with age & use and add
to the character of this piece of social history.
It was used by a teacher in a Junior Secondary School in rural
Perthshire during the 1950's & 1960's and as a pupil at that school during
that period I can personally attest to its effectiveness
and deterrent qualities. The teacher in question was my father's
cousin, which is how I came to own this piece, unfortunately that relationship
did not get me an amnesty when I was 10 years old!
Make no mistake, this is the finest quality example you will find
anywhere and it even makes later examples by the same famous manufacturer pale
into insignificance when you compare the stats (see below). Indeed the heavy
weight leather used to manufacture this tawse would be impossible to find
today.
This Tawse is:
24 inches long; It is 1 1/4
inches wide; and The leather is
a full 1/4 inch thick! All of which
means it weighs a mighty 148 grams.
For those who don't know 'the tawse', 'the strap' or 'the belt'
were all names for the same piece of equipment, of which this (please see
photographs) is a supreme example.
It was used during a period when corporal punishment was accepted
as necessary in schools for teachers to maintain control &
discipline and in many schools it was used with
amazing regularity for misdemeanours ranging from: talking
in class; forgetting to do homework; fighting with another
pupil; insubordination; etc.
It would normally be administered to the palms of the hand (often
in front of the rest of the class) and depending on the severity of the offence
or the mood of the teacher it could be administered up to six times in
succession ('six of the best'). The use of the tawse had an obvious impact and
played a huge part in the making of reputations within a school (teacher's and
pupils).
So there you
have it the finest example of a genuine Lochgelly Tawse that has been used in
anger that you are ever likely to find. Please note that I have just added an extra couple of pictures of the makers stamp/logo following a number of requests from potential buyers. Any Questions
- Please Ask
(Please take
a moment to look at my other listings for more examples of rare collectables
and fine antiquities)
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