Ducking Stool, a device once used for punishing women guilty of abusive speech. It was also used for prostitutes and for women convicted of witchcraft. The most common form was a seesaw set up over the edge of water. The woman was tied in a chair at the far end of the seesaw and then was ducked. Watchers jeered during the ducking. This method of punishment was used in England from the late 15th century to the early 19th century, and was introduced into the American colonies.