or to ward off the Black Death

It was used by monks for self-

From cleansing the soul to beating away the Black Death, self-flagellation was a popular, if painful, cure in the Middle Ages.

Now archaeologists have discovered pieces of a punishing copper scourge, or whip, which may have been used by repenting monks to chastise themselves.

The instrument of self-torture was found by archaeologists during a dig underneath the meadow at Rufford Abbey in Nottinghamshire and is one of only four ever to have been found in the UK.

Archaeologists have discovered pieces of a punishing copper scourge, or whip, that may have been used by repenting medieval monks to chastise themselves. Pieces of the original whip are pictured above in a protective box, while a replica has been made (foreground) to show what it would have looked like

Scourges were woven copper-alloy wires braided together, used by people in the Middle Ages to chastise themselves.

The people perhaps saw it being a way of cleansing the soul or self-punishment for society's sins, and were popular after the devastation of the Black Death.

The Black Death plague ravaged the country between 1348 and 1349, putting an end to prosperity at Rufford and causing the abbey went into decline.

Records show that wool trade profits fell in the following years, with fewer people to work the land.

Scourges, whips or cat-o-nine-tails, were woven copper-alloy wires braided together were used by people in the Middle Ages to chastise themselves and cleanse themselves of sin. A woodcut from 1493 is shown above, picturing two holy men trying to save people from the Black Death

The whip was discovered by community archaeologists during a dig underneath the meadow at Rufford Abbey (shown) in Nottinghamshire and is one of only four ever to have been found in the UK

Archaeologists found pieces of the scourge at Rufford Abbey (marked on the map) in 2014 and were attracted to a stain a green colouring in the soil surrounding the copper metal. However, the significance of the find has only just come to light following tests

MEDIEVAL CISTERCIAN MONKS It is possible Cistercian monks used the scourges in around 1348 in an attempt to keep the Black Death at bay, or simply for the mortification of the human body. They would have risen at 4.30am to take part in church services, laboured in the fields for long hours and lived in austerity as they devoted their lives to their faith. Despite the monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience of the period, there are also some surviving records of Rufford of monks who strayed from this path. They include Brother William, arrested for the murder of Brother Robert in 1280, and two monks who were charged with the highway robbery of Thomas De Holme, seizing £200 from him - a large amount of money at the time. Advertisement

Rufford Abbey suffered 'notorious poverty', and various kings excused the Abbey from paying taxes during this time.

It's possible that Cistercian monks used the scourges in this period in an attempt to keep the Black Death at bay, by taking the population's sins upon themselves and beating themselves to save people from God's wrath manifested in the form of the plague.

They would have risen at 4.30am to take part in church services, laboured in the fields for long hours and lived in austerity as they devoted their lives to their faith.

Archaeologists found pieces of the scourge in 2014 and were attracted to a stain a green colouring in the soil surrounding the copper metal.

However, the significance of the find has only just come to light, following tests.

It has been found to be similar to a metal scourge found at Rievaulx Abbey, another former Cistercian abbey, in Yorkshire.

Nottinghamshire County Council community archaeologists Emily Gillott and Lorraine Horsley made the potential connection due to the similarities with the scourge on display at Rievaulx and have since learned of its historical importance.

The two other scourges known to experts were uncovered at Grovebury Priory, known as La Grava, in Bedfordshire and another at Roche Abbey in South Yorkshire.

Archaeologists found pieces of the scourge in 2014 and were attracted to a stain a green colouring in the soil surrounding the copper metal. The medieval pieces are shown in the box held by Emily Gillott. While the whip was quite small, the flexible metal would have created quite a sting

Scourges, whips or cat-o-nine-tails, were woven copper-alloy wires braided together, used by people in the Middle Ages to chastise themselves. This illuminated manuscript shows 'flagellant brothers' in Venice in the 14th century, showing the practice was intertwined with religious beliefs at the time

Medieval specialist, Glyn Coppack, said: 'There must be a number of unidentified scourges from monastic excavations, but apart from the one from La Grava I have not seen any others myself.

'I suspect they are very rare indeed, and this is an exceptional find.'

Nottinghamshire County Council manages Rufford Abbey Country Park, which is visited by around 350,000 people each year.

'Each archaeological dig at Rufford Abbey unearths something new about its remarkable history and this is another fascinating discovery which helps us to build a picture of what life could have been like for the monks living in the Abbey during the dark days of the Black Death and its aftermath,' said Councillor John Knight, Committee Chairman for Culture, at the council.