A birching is a whipping with a bundle of twigs. It is a kind of corporal punishment or means of inflicting pain on a convicted criminal. Birching was first used by the Romans and was a common form of punishment in England, Scotland and Wales until the 1900s. It was used primarily on young boys found guilty of thievery. The length and weight of the birch rod depended on the child's age. The number of lashes was set by a judge. The recipient of the birch was bent over a wooden bench known as a birching donkey or birching pony. In Scotland, recipients of the birch were secured face down on a flat whipping table. The birch rod was most often applied to bare buttocks but was sometimes used on a bare back and bare shoulders.