peine forte et dure Strong and hard pain. A torture, consisting of piling weights on the body, administered so as to force the accused to accept jury trial. It may have originated in a misconstruing of the Statute of Westminster 1275, which ordered that such a person was to be remanded to a hard and strong prison . The list fatal torture of this nature took place at Horsham Gaol in 1735. Abolished by the Felony and Piracy Act 1772 (UK).