An alfet ( ang, ālfæt, "fire vat") was an ancient cauldron filled with boiling water, into which an accused person was to plunge his arm up to his elbow. Its use was a form of

trial by ordeal Trial by ordeal was an ancient judicial practice by which the guilt or innocence of the accused was determined by subjecting them to a painful, or at least an unpleasant, usually dangerous experience. In medieval Europe, like trial by combat, tri ...

Henry Campbell Black Henry Campbell Black (October 17, 1860 – March 19, 1927) was the founder of ''Black's Law Dictionary'', the definitive legal dictionary first published in 1891. Born in Ossining (village), New York, Ossining, New York, he was also the editor of ...

, ''Black's Law Dictionary (Second Edition)'' (1910), p. 56. The arm and hand were then bound and left for three days. If the wound was found to have begun to heal cleanly the person was judged to be innocent. However, if the scald was infected or unhealed, the victim was held to be guilty. It was also used for purgation.

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Charles Dufresne, Sieur Du Cange Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange (; December 18, 1610 in Amiens – October 23, 1688 in Paris, aged 77), also known simply as Charles Dufresne, was a distinguished French philologist and historian of the Middle Ages and Byzantium. Life Educat ...

, ''Glossarium mediæ et infimæ Latinitatis''. 1840–50; 1883–87. Containers Medieval instruments of torture European instruments of torture Trial by ordeal Cauldrons {{Torture-stub