A pillory was a device used in the Middle Ages as a form of punishment. Wrongdoers were sentenced to stand at the pillory and their head and arms were clamped by a bar. A similar device also used was the stocks. In this case the punishment was arguably less severe as the malefactor sat at the stocks with his legs clamped. The locals, of course, would take great delight in pelting the offenders with rotting cabbages, ordure, and similar objects in both cases.

I was struck by the fact that whereas nowadays we still have the verb 'to pillory', we don't have an equivalent verb-form for the stocks.

The reason that this came to mind is that I saw an article in my paper today that spoke about people being 'pilloried in the stocks of public opinion'. I'd have written something like 'pilloried by public opinion', but what do others think; am I being too anal?

I am told that the pillory was by far the worse punishment.

In the stocks the prisoner could be pelted and abused by still had his or her hands for defence and was not in too vulnerable a position.

Pity the poor incumbent of the pillory who was defenceless. It requires little imagination to see what punishment could be meted out on a lady thus confined.

'pilloried in the stocks of public opinion'

does sound a rather convoluted metaphor to me and, like you, I'd have written "pilloried by public opinion".

So no, not too anal.

I haven't seen it used often, though by Arnie's description, I agree that it should have just been "pilloried." I did find 182 Google his of "pilloried in stocks," though.