Two historians say chastity belts are purely medieval myths

Agence France-Presse

LONDON -- Chastity belts never existed. They are nothing more than Victorian myths.

So say two British historians, whose views are shared by some of the country's biggest museums, the Sunday Times newspaper reports.

"Apart from a handful of prisoners who wore them for protection against licentious warders, it is unlikely belts were anything more than a handy gag for burlesque writers," historian James Brundage was quoted as saying.

Felicity Riddy, of the Center for Medieval Studies at York University, agreed. "There is no medieval evidence, from Chaucer or anyone else. It all points to an early urban myth brought back to life by the Victorians," she said.

Chastity belts are popularly thought to have been invented in the Middle Ages to prevent women from engaging in sexual intercourse.

The British Museum in London has already removed from exhibition a supposedly medieval chastity belt, which has been on view since 1846.

"It is probable that the majority of existing examples were made in the 19th century as curiosities for the prurient or jokes for the tasteless," a spokesman for the museum was quoted as saying.