Pressed to Death

 In the 17th century, in England, people who refused to plead either 'guilty' or 'not guilty' at a trial were 'pressed'. That means a wooden board was placed on them and weights were put on top, one by one. Sometimes, the person could not stand the increasing weight and agreed to plead. However sometimes he was pressed to death. The last man to be pressed to death died at Horsham, Sussex in 1735.