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The strap has always been a familiar part of English school life. In Scotland, it has always been used, and in that country, it is commonly known as the tawse - an instrument made of a heavy grade of leather and in the case of the sturdier  examples, every bit as formidable as the cane itself. This is as it should be, since in Scotland the cane is rarely used, and many schools do not possess one at all. A tawse of greater length and weight usually a 3 tailed taking it's place as the ultimate deterrent. 
The English school straps are usually a rather less fearsome thing than the tawse, and although it has been in use for a considerable time (19th century examples may be often seen in museums and other collections and sometimes come up for sale in antique shops), it seems to have come into its own in the present century. While the Scottish instrument is long often quite long and heavy, the English strap is generally shorter and broader. We say generally because English straps come in a wide variety of types and designs, some resembling the tawse in appearance. Here are some examples of The London Tanners Straps and Tawses.

A bit of history on the Tawse

Generally, however, the tawse in Scotland was given on the hands, often - contrary to the usual practice with the cane in England - in front of the class. And it was applied remarkably frequently: a 1977 survey by the Educational Institute of Scotland (the teachers' trade union) found that 36% of 12-to-15- year-old boys were belted at least once in 10 school days; 21% of these were strapped three or more times in the same period.
There is one significant exception to the dominance of the tawse in Scottish education, and that is the independent (private) schools. Here there was no general rule; the Code of Practice did not apply. I understand a few private schools, such as Glasgow Academy, did use the strap on hands, perhaps regarding this as a more Scottish thing to do.
The tawse is a leather strap with its business end cut into a number of tails (usually two or three). The tawse may be applied to the palm of the hands or the buttocks. If the latter, it may be applied over clothing, but to be fully effective it should be applied to the bare flesh. Unlike the cane, a leather strap can be safely applied to the hand: it will hurt but not injure, and six of the very best can be safely inflicted upon a schoolboy's palms.
The tawse is associated with Scotland, just as the cane is with England, and has been employed in domestic, educational and judicial contexts. Incidentally, in Scotland the tawse is more commonly known as the belt. Many Scottish saddlers used to make Tawses but the best implements were undoubtedly manufactured by the firm of John Dick & Sons of Lochgelly, a small town about 12 miles north of Edinburgh. Later the firm moved to nearby Cowdenbeath.
The famous Lochgelly tawse began with a saddler named Philps who started making Tawses for his son and daughter who were both teachers. These proved so effective that other teachers soon wanted to own a Lochgelly and the business quickly expanded. The firm eventually passed in to the hands of the Dick family and remained with them for three generations until they ceased trading in 1984. At one time, the firm was selling 70 or 80 Tawses a week and had a thriving export trade.

A final note on the tawse: In 1982 its monopoly manufacturer in Scotland, Lochgelly saddler John Dick, "whose family firm had been making the tawse in their Fife workshop since Victorian children were learning their three R's and being belted", went out of production.
"It is almost fading away in any case because of the difficulty in obtaining the special leather. It was now being manufactured principally for export: 'there are outstanding orders for Australia, New Zealand, Canada and America. There's Medium, Heavy and Extra-Heavy ... The two-tail heavy has been the most popular and retails at £5.90.'"
("Rise and fall of the belt", Sunday Standard, Glasgow, 28 February 1982.)
 
The Tawse

Called in Scotland 'the belt' the tawse was in use in schools and homes until quite recently.

The best-known Scottish tawse maker was John J Dick of Lochgelly. He made Tawses in four weights: Light, Medium, Heavy and Extra Heavy. A typical Light tawse of his manufacture is 3 cm wide, 54 cm long, 5mm thick and weighs 80 gm. A heavy tawse, while not being significantly larger in any dimension, weighs 110 gm. They are divided into 2 'tails' about 23 cm long at the operating end. Wider Tawses might be divided into 3, 4 or even 5 tails.

School Teachers would carry a 'belt' over the left shoulder, under the jacket from which position it could be drawn with a single motion while instructing the victim: "Up!" That is, hands up, straight out in front with one hand supporting the other. The tawse was then swung down in a vertical arc so that it landed along the length of the upper palm.

Although it might appear that a heavy tawse needed two hands to swing it, this is not the case and women teachers could belt 15-year-old boys very effectively with a one-handed stroke, which was more accurate.
Parents also used the tawse and many traditional Scottish homes had one hanging in a prominent place. In the home, it was more often applied to the miscreant's bottom, clothed or otherwise, usually with he/she lying face down on a bed. Home Tawses may have been lighter than the fearsome instruments available in schools but then parents were not so limited in how many strokes could be applied.

Formerly, Tawses were readily available in many leather, hardware and general stores. Until the mid 1990s, a shoe repairer in Edinburgh did a good trade in Tawses and kept a selection hanging in his shop window.
There are many imitation Tawses available now, as a net search will reveal. The 'real thing', however, is very difficult to get, since the name derives from 'taw', which refers to the method by which the leather was cured and which, I understand, is no longer used. Should you be fortunate (or Unfortunate) to try one, you will find it very painful. If used correctly, probably more so than a cane.
Two excellent depictions of the tawse in use in the school setting occur in the British made for TV film, 'Leaving' Dr. Ohw!

Legend Mild-Moderate Moderate-Severe Severe

Lochgelly Tawse

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This exact replica of the original Lochgelly tawse as used in Scottish schools up until the early seventies and made by J Dick & sons. It is hand crafted from the finest 14 -16 oz (4-5mm) Stamped H for Heavy Imported British Harness Leather. It measures 21inches by 1.1/2 wide with two 8.1/2 inch tails. This is hand crafted to the original specifications. All the edges are marked with a saddlers crease line and are fully beveled, burnished and finished.

Available in London Tan, Dark Havana Brown Rich Burgundy Red and Solid Black. 

Price $ 54.95

Select Leather Color: London Tan Dark Havana Brown Solid Black Deep Burgundy Red

Glasgow Tawse

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This exact replica of the original Glasgow Tawse as used in Scottish schools up until the early seventies and made by J Phelps. It is hand crafted from the finest 12-16 oz (5-6mm) Stamped H for Heavy Imported British Harness Leather. It measures 21 inches by 1.1/2 wide with three 8 1/2 X 1/2 inch tails. This is hand crafted to the original specifications. All the edges are marked with a saddlers crease line and are fully beveled, burnished and finished.

Available in London Tan, Dark Havana Brown Rich Burgundy Red and Solid Black.   

Price $ 59.95

Select Leather Color: London Tan Dark Havana Brown Solid Black Deep Burgundy Red

Four Tailed Tawse

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This exact replica of the Four Tail Lochgelly Tawse as used in Scottish schools up until the early seventies and made originally by J Dick, is hand crafted from the finest 14-16 oz (5-6mm) Stamped H for Heavy Imported British Harness Leather. It measures 26 inches long by 2 inches wide with four 1/2 by 11.1/2inch tails, it is a very large and nasty version of the now legendary Scots belt and is definitely not for the faint of heart. This is hand crafted to the original specifications All the edges are marked with a saddlers crease line, fully beveled, burnished and finished.

Available in London Tan, Dark Havana Brown Rich Burgundy Red and Solid Black. 

Price $ 69.95

Select Leather Color: London Tan Dark Havana Brown Solid Black Deep Burgundy Red

The Convent Strap (Ferule)

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This is an exact replica of the Irish strap or Ferule that was quite popular in Church schools. Establishments such as reformatories and orphanages also found it a preferred instrument for discipline. It is 17 x 2 tapering to 1 & 1/2 inches, made of a single piece of 12-16 oz (5-6mm) Heavy imported British Harness Leather making this a really severe strap. All the edges are marked with a saddlers crease line are fully beveled, burnished and finished in British tan leather. This is hand crafted to the original specifications.

Available in London Tan, Dark Havana Brown Rich Burgundy Red and Solid Black. 

Price $ 39.95

Select Leather Color: London Tan Dark Havana Brown Solid Black Deep Burgundy Red

English School Strap

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This exact replica of the original English School Strap as used in British schools up until the early seventies. This kind of strap would have been used by a teacher to maintain classroom discipline. It is hand crafted from the finest 14-16 oz (5-6mm) Heavy imported British Harness Leather. It measures 21 inches long by 1 & 1/2 wide. All the edges are marked with a saddlers crease line, are fully beveled, burnished and finished.

Available in London Tan, Dark Havana Brown Rich Burgundy Red and Solid Black.

Price $ 44.95

Select Leather Color: London Tan Dark Havana Brown Solid Black Deep Burgundy Red

Irish School Strap 17 x 2 inches

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The Leather (Irish School Strap) as the name suggests was a
leather strap normally of around 16 inches in length (Variations 13"-
18"),1.5 to 2" in width, with thickness varying from a quarter inch to
a half inch in 2,3,or 4 layers of Leather, depending normally on the
Age of the Boys it was intended for. THE LEATHER had a shaped handle
at the Teacher's end, and it was often Stiffened and Weighted
internally. I must say that it was a beautifully crafted instrument, but not admired when on the receiving end It made a fantastic impact on landing on Palms or Backsides.

This Traditional Irish School strap is a good example of the type used throughout Ireland in schools and homes up until the mid 70s and is a great piece to add to your collection.

Made of two layers of 8-10 oz (4-5mm ) Leather hand saddle stitched together completely around the edge at 6 stitches per inch. It has a leather insert in the handle section to build it up to a rounded finish. Measuring 17 by 2 inches it is over 3/8ths thick It is stamped H for heavy, all the edges are beveled and burnished to smooth finish.
Available in London Tan, Dark Havana Brown Rich Burgundy Red and Solid Black.

Price $ 69.95

Select Leather Color: London Tan Dark Havana Brown Solid Black Deep Burgundy Red

Traditional Irish School Strap 17 x 1.1/2 inches

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Slimmer version of the above strap.
Available in London Tan, Dark Havana Brown Rich Burgundy Red and Solid Black. 

Price $ 59.95

Select Leather Color: London Tan Dark Havana Brown Solid Black Deep Burgundy Red

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