A torture device once used in England. It was designed to punish women who talked too much and was sometimes called the Scold's Bridle.
It consisted of a steel cage worn on the head like a helmet. Inside the cage was a protruding steel plate that either had sharp spikes on it or which was sharpened to a point. The plate was placed in the offender's mouth so that any movement of the tongue would cause great pain and serious damage to the mouth. Sometimes a chain was attached to the front of the brank so that the victim could be led around like a dog on a leash.