A type of ordeal by fire in which an accused person is required to walk a certain distance either holding a heated iron bar or over heated iron objects (usually ploughshares).
Origin
Old English; earliest use found in Laws of Aeðelstan.
Definition of iron ordeal in US English:
iron ordeal
noun
historical
A type of ordeal by fire in which an accused person is required to walk a certain distance either holding a heated iron bar or over heated iron objects (usually ploughshares).
Origin
Old English; earliest use found in Laws of Aeðelstan.