Iain MacLeod talking about corporal punishment at school
Sound clip in English of Iain MacLeod of Kilmoluaig talking about corporal punishment at school in the 1950s.
Courtesy of Mr Iain MacLeod
Iain MacLeod of Kilmoluaig was recorded in October 2005 talking to Maggie Campbell about his schooling at Cornaigmore where he was given ‘the belt’ for various misdemeanours, including spelling mistakes in the first years of primary school and for teaching a young child swear words.
The instrument of punishment in Scottish schools was the tawse, commonly known as the belt, which was a thick leather strap split at the end to inflict maximum pain. The strap was usually applied to the palms of the hands but in some recorded cases to bare buttocks. It was banned in state schools in 1986.
Iain and his wife Fiona were for many years the managers of Brown’s shop in Balemartine. They now run their own shop at Crossapol.