There has been some debate in another thread re how long the marks of a caning should remain on the bottom.

For some reason, I have it in my head that a serious (but not brutal) caning on a boy's bottom will leave marks that last for up to 5 days and I think Martin's reference to marks lasting 10 days must be based on accounts of some truly horrific beatings.

I have no doubt that boys were (at least usually) caned more severely than girls and so remain convinced that marks of 2 - 3 days duration on a girl were quite normal.

Anybody any ideas?

I was only caned once at school - four strokes over trousers when I was thirteen. I remember the marks as lasting about a week.

I went to a mixed grammar school in the 1960's and was caned once.

I got two strokes over tight trousers and it left no marks at all.

The marks from my two canings at prep school lasted at least a week, no bruising but the red marks where still visible a week later. They seemed to last about the same time on other boys as well, regular inspection at shower time being the order of the day!.

This really does vary from one individual to another. Most boys at my school carreid the marks of their canings for a week but some faded after three days and some could still be seen after a fortnight.

Tim

A caning over trousers and pants.Average marks will last 2-3 days and the skin is not usualy broken.Tawse in same situation will bruise slightly more marks lasting 3-4 days.Caned over satin/nylon PE shorts marks avergae a week.Skin may break slightly.Caned over the bared buttocks.Marks average a week to 10 days and the skin is usualy broken.Tawse over bared buttocks.Marks will last up to 2 weeks but the last week will see mild bruising clearing up.All strokes are assumed to be moderate to hard with a traditional school medium rattan cane or a 2 tailed heavy lochgelly tawse.Hand tawsing does not usualy see any lasting marks but the hands will be sore and swollen for several hours.Caning on the hands, well that is to dangerous and best avoided.

It is very clear that "ordinary" canings can produce marks ranging from transient (a
few hours) to very long lasting (2 or 3 weeks).

The size, weight and flexibility of the cane.
The force of the strokes.
The clothing worn.
The size of the buttocks and amount of padding (muscle or adipose).
The propensity to bruise and for the bruises to show through the skin.
The posture at time of caning.

Identical canings (same cane, same force, same nominal posture and clothing) can
have very different effects on different posteriors.

Posture can have a big effect on the marking, all other things being the same. A light
cane landing on a firm, tightly bent butt is quickly brought to a stop, bending around
the unyielding flesh, spreading its energy thinly, with little or no welting and no
lasting marking.

However, if the butt is less bent and hence better padded, the same stroke can sink
into the soft, barely resisting cheeks at full speed producing a short but deep welt and a long lasting mark.

I invite anyone who doubts the effect of posture to try a few experiments using a light
?school? cane - a heavy cane is likely to pulp the flesh and should never be used.

In my schoolboy days the marks lasted at least a week. Anything less was an
embarrassment as school mates would discount such canings.