In French, the device is called verges (from the Latin virgin). In German it is known as Birkenrute or simply Rute (rod), in Dutch Tuchtroede, in Russia rozgii ( розги ). In England in the nineteenth century, the silver birch was commonly identified with the female gender and sometimes referred to as the "Lady Birch".
In Britain, birch punishment was legal until 1948 and was retained as such by the Isle of Man until 1975, when the European Court of Human Rights described it as "cruel and unusual punishment". The use of birching on children in British schools has an equally long history. Our modern image of the birch tree is mainly that of the court birch. However, the birch cane traditionally used in many families was very different and compared to the judicial birch as the heavy canes used for adult caning in Singapore. Were compared to the sticks used in primary school.
A normal birch used on children was small, light and no more than a handful of short birch twigs; it stung a lot then and left small marks. It was considered safe and mild and was generally used as an OTK, although it was detested by children because of its stinging properties. As children grew up, the branches selected became longer and heavier.
Birch was kept in many homes in Western and Northern Europe until the Second World War, although its use declined. In the twenties it was a rare punishment reserved for serious misdeeds. European picture books for children at the turn of the century often contain images of a birch pole. The birch was replaced by the cane in schools in Victorian England in the name of modesty, as the spankee must be bare-bottomed for a birch:
Birch canes are only painful when used on bare skin. Among the British upper classes, this was (and still is) considered indecent. Real birch twigs are very flexible, knotty and gnarled. To punish the justice system, the executioner used the heavy birch like a whip and dragged the branches across the skin. The branches and twigs whipped into the skin will cut it and make the blood flow. It was considered a mild but humiliating punishment, often reserved for children and women, especially “prostitutes” (being pregnant without a man claiming paternity was enough to qualify).
In the “Netherlands, Belgium, Lower Germany”, a typical punishment for "whores” was to be "stripped and whipped 40 times with a sharp birch until the blood flowed”. It was done in public at the executed whipping post on the market square, which can still be found in many places there. Many historical pictures and paintings can be found on the internet.
Effect
The pain caused by a birch tree starts surprisingly mild, but increases with the number of strokes. The birch initially leaves a cross of thin red lines and dots, as well as slight abrasions on the skin. When these are hit again, the pain intensifies to a very nasty stinging over a large surface. Part of its popularity was undoubtedly due to the wide range of sensations a birch could produce: from mild punishment for a naughty toddler to a severe beating for a rebellious youth.
As an erotic instrument for sadomasochistic play, the birch enables a wide range of sensations, from intense but little painful glow to the sensation of being flayed alive (which actually happens during a severe birching).
Making
A birch tree can be made from freshly cut birch branches, as described in the birch tree making tutorial. If they could not be cut fresh from trees, birch rods were sometimes made from the branches of birch brooms (brooms). The broom was taken apart, and the branches best suited for the job were selected to make a rod. This method is described, for example, in the Victorian whipping novel The Mysteries of Verbena House:
The first step was to remove the sticks from the mass of twigs. After cutting the ligature which bound them together, Mrs. Rumble selected from the mass of birch a sufficient number of the longest and most bristling branches, which had the fullest buds. These she shaped very carefully into bundles and tied the handles tightly together with whipcord. Each of the sticks was about a foot and a half long. At the handle it could easily be grasped by a lady, but at the top it had a much broader circumference; at least eight inches in diameter extend on each side in branching sprays.
Soaking and care
“They are all very good to look at as they are,” remarked Mrs. Rumble to Scullery maid Sarah. “But, bless you, it wouldn't do to thrash with them. They would break off, they are so brittle, and we should aid the whole schoolroom with pieces of birch. No, no, I must give them.”
A pickling
Birch trees can be soaked in water or salt solution before use, which increases their sting and durability. If a birch is stored in a dry place for a long time, it becomes brittle. You can try to make it supple again by soaking it for a few hours (e.g., in a bathtub or a large bucket), but it will not be as good as a fresh one. If the birch is stored in a damp or wet climate for a long time (e.g., outdoors), it will rot and become even more brittle. The best thing to do is to make a birch from freshly cut branches when it is to be used, and throw away the leftovers after use.
Sarah, in the meantime, had prepared a bucket of water, into which she had put a pound of soda, two pounds of salt and a quart of vinegar, according to Mrs. Rumble's instructions. We let the beautiful things soak all night, and in the morning they are fresh as paint, hard as iron and supple as whalebone.
In the past, birch trees were used for formal corporal punishment in both judicial and institutional settings such as schools, reformatories, and prisons. Soaked in heavily salted water (i.e., a strong salt solution) for a long period of time (at least two weeks) before use. There were three main reasons for this. First, it greatly increased the weight, flexibility, and strength of the branches. This made the punishments much more severe both in terms of pain and in terms of damage to the flesh of the recipient in terms of cuts, wounds, and sores.
Secondly, a birch soaked in brine was much more durable and could be good for more than one flogging, perhaps up to three or four. Thirdly, brine has strong antiseptic properties that helped prevent infections of the wounds after punishment. Likewise, disinfected between floggings. This was especially important as most judicial birches were assigned to adult males and all judicial and school birches to boys and adolescents were assigned to the anal region and the birch branches were covered with blood after flogging.
Storage
A birch was sometimes kept where it could be easily seen (as a warning) and quickly reached when needed, e.g. with its handle tucked behind a mirror or a painting on the wall. It was also sometimes hung on a string.