The whip revealed the monastic life in the Black Death pandemic

Archaeologists found the secret behind some of the twisted copper wire sections unearthed at a monastery since the Middle Ages.

Found in 2014 at Rufford , Nottinghamshire monastery , England, the stranded copper wire is part of a long whip used by monks to carry out self-torture suffering, Discovery News on April 4 believe.

According to the Nottinghamshire County Council, the true meaning of the 14th-century string is revealed after the team compared it to a similar metal whip discovered at another British monastery.

Picture 1 of The whip revealed the monastic life in the Black Death pandemic
A piece of copper whip in the protective box and a uniform to build the whip(Photo: Nottinghamshire Council).

"This is an interesting discovery that helps us build a picture of the monks' lives in Rufford monastery during the dark period of the Black Death pandemic and its consequences , " Councilman John Knight , chairman of the Cultural Committee, said.

The Black Death pandemic took place due to the outbreak of plague and the destruction of England between 1348 and 1350, causing the Rufford monastery to lose most of its income from the wool industry. Due to the difficult financial situation of the monastery, many kings exempted the monastery from taxes during this period.

This is the fourth whip discovered in England. Cistercian monks used the whip during this period to scare away the Black Death pandemic, or as an act of self-repentance for the crimes of the people.

Monks live an ascetic life. They got up from 4:30 am to do church work and then worked out the field for hours.

Although using copper rods to self-torture, historical records also reveal a few Rufford monks who broke the world. Brother William, a monk among them, was arrested for murdering Brother Robert in 1280, and two monks were accused of robbing 285 USD of Thomas De Holme.

According to medieval expert Glyn Coppack, monasteries were rarely discovered."This is a special discovery , " Coppack said.