Pillory Pelderijn - St. Cross - Bruges

The pelderijn is a triangular column of 3 meters high, made of bluestone . On the column is a bluestone sphere.

The name Pelderijn is a corruption of the French word pilori , which means pillory . The inmate was attached to the post with an iron collar during the busy afternoon hours.

After Jean Lopez Gallo took possession of the lordship of Male in 1558 , he erected an oak pillory (staecke) in 1569 in front of the town hall. The pillory was accompanied by a sundial indicating the length of the sentence.

In the second half of the 18th century, probably between 1750 and 1787, this was replaced by the current stone one.

The pillory was only used a few times . In 1795 the lordship of Male was abolished and the pillory no longer had a function.

During the 19th century the pillory was hung with tobacco plants during the fair to force a good tobacco harvest.

The Pelderijn was demolished in 1874, but in 1895 the debris was reassembled because of its historical significance. In 1985 the Pelderijn was placed back in its original location.

Willem Vandenameele