Legal Definitions - scold

The term "scold" refers to a historical legal concept, specifically a person who was considered a public nuisance due to their habitual disruptive and quarrelsome behavior.

In historical legal contexts, a scold (also known as a common scold) was an individual, typically a woman, who regularly disturbed the peace of a community through persistent verbal abuse, bickering, and general contentious conduct. This behavior was seen as creating discord and being a public nuisance to their neighbors and the wider community. Such conduct was formerly a punishable offense, with various historical methods of correction.

Here are some examples illustrating how someone might have been considered a "scold" in historical legal practice:

• Imagine a villager named Agnes who, almost daily, would stand at her window and loudly berate passersby for minor infractions, such as children playing too boisterously or neighbors' chickens wandering onto her property. She would frequently initiate shouting matches with other residents over trivial matters, creating a constant atmosphere of tension and argument on her street.

  This illustrates a "scold" because Agnes regularly broke the peace through persistent verbal abuse and increased discord among her neighbors, making her a public nuisance to the community.

• Consider a merchant named Bartholomew who, during weekly market days, consistently engaged in loud, aggressive arguments with other vendors over stall placement, publicly criticized customers' choices, and frequently started disputes with anyone who disagreed with him. His presence often led to heated confrontations that disrupted commerce and made the market an unpleasant place for others.

  This demonstrates the concept of a "scold" as Bartholomew habitually caused public disturbances through his quarrelsome behavior, creating discord and acting as a nuisance in a public gathering place.