Annabelle Ducking Stool

Perkins readies this wooden contraption on the Annabelle's deck for the London deserter's public ducking. Grey orders its use to dunk the prisoner repeatedly in water, a humiliating spectacle visible to the chained Highlanders. The apparatus underscores Grey's control, as Trask stands by while Perkins secures the deserter for the deterrent punishment.

2 appearances

Purpose

Publicly submerge prisoners in water to humiliate and deter rebellion

Significance

Grey deploys the stool to instill fear among Highlanders without risking full-scale revolt before their sale, balancing brutality with calculated restraint to maximize profit from enslavement

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S4E17 · The Highlanders Part 3

Grey's Controlled Brutality on the Annabelle

The ducking stool is implied as the tool for the London deserter's punishment, ordered by Grey to serve as a public deterrent. Though not explicitly described in the scene, its presence is inferred through Grey's command to 'proceed with the ducking' and Perkins' instruction to 'make the preparations.' The stool symbolizes Grey's weaponization of humiliation and spectacle to maintain control over the crew and the Highlanders. Its use is a calculated move to break the deserter's spirit and warn others of the consequences of dissent.

Before: Stored below decks, ready for use as a tool of punishment.

After: Prepared and likely in use on the deck, with the deserter secured for the ducking.

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S4E17 · The Highlanders Part 3

Grey Orders Public Deterrent Execution

The Annabelle Ducking Stool is central to Grey’s strategy of psychological deterrence. Although not explicitly mentioned by name, its preparation is ordered by Grey as a means to punish the London deserter publicly. The ducking stool serves as a brutal, humiliating instrument of control, designed to break the spirit of the Highlanders and discourage further resistance. Its use is framed as a calculated move to maintain order and compliance until the sale in Barbados is finalized.

Before: Stored below deck, ready for use as part of the ship’s disciplinary measures.

After: Prepared and set up on the deck, awaiting the arrival of the deserter for the public ducking.

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