The "talkative" woman's bridle
This bridle has appeared in a number of films, including Brimstone
It is a punishment for women who talk a lot, or have a sharp tongue. It is an iron bridle that prevents speaking, spread since the sixteenth century in England and Scotland, and then moved to the New World (the United States), and it was also used to prevent maids from “fooling” with strangers, and it was retribution for those accused of practicing witchcraft.
It was used on men as well, and remained as a punishment until the late nineteenth century.
VID