E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Skevington’s Daughter,
corrupted into Scavenger’s Daughter, was an instrument of torture invented by Skevington, lieutenant of the Tower under Henry VIII. It consisted of a broad hoop of iron in two parts, fastened together by a hinge. The victim was made to kneel while the hoop was passed under his legs; he was then squeezed gradually till the hoop could be got over his back, where it was fastened.
