Neck ring. The ring is hinged and has an attached ring and detachable key. On board slave ships, captive Africans were kept below decks for the vast majority of the time. Men, women and children were segregated. Men were usually kept shackled, handcuffed in pairs by their wrists and with iron leg rings riveted to their ankles. Frequently they had such little space that they could only lie on their sides and could not sit or stand up.