A finger pillory is a style of restraint where the

finger A finger is a limb of the body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of most of the Tetrapods, so also with humans and other primates. Most land vertebrates have five fingers ( Pentadactyly). Chambers ...

s are held in a wooden block, using an L-shaped hole to keep the knuckle bent inside the block. The name is taken from the pillory, a much larger device used to secure the head and hands. Finger stocks were also used in churches for minor offences, like not paying attention during a sermon. An example still survives in St Helen's Church, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England.

References

Physical restraint {{Crime-stub