Indholdsfortegnelse for All About History Book of Witchcraft - 7th. Edition i All About History

One of the key events in European history that helped to conflate the ideas of sorcery and heresy was the condemnation of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, the Knights Templar. King Philip the Fair of France, having determined to destroy the Knights Templar to obtain their resources and negate his huge debts to them, needed a pretext. The Knights had a reputation for secrecy that had allowed rumours as to their practices to flourish. At dawn on Friday, 13 October, 1307, Philip’s agents arrested the master of the order and its highest officers and put them to torture in various locations. The warrant for their arrest began with a telling phrase: “God is not pleased. We have enemies of the faith in the kingdom.”…

Jacques de Malay was calm Through seven long years of accusations, trials, torture, denials and confessions, he had been anything but calm, but as the frail, bearded man was led out onto the lle aux Juifs on the Seine, he did not weep or tremble. A crowd had gathered to watch the old man die, and a pyre had been erected on the small island, ready to be lit and claim his soul. De Malay was stripped of the rags that were once clothes, down to his threadbare shirt, then the guards strapped his thin, pale body to the stake. Finally, the silent man spoke. He asked to be turned to face the cathedral of Notre Dame, and that his hands be freed so he could die in prayer. These…

British Isles Edward II was initially sceptical about the Templars’ guilt and had no reasons to view them as a threat. He wrote to the pope in defence of the Order, but was eventually forced to arrest and try many Templars. Initially, torture was not allowed and all the Templars pleaded innocent, but when the pope’s inquisitors took over, confessions came fast. However, they were spared burning and simply forced to repent publicly. Those who refused were incarcerated until death. Italy The situation in Italy varied. The Papal States unsurprisingly acted at once, but in Lombardy there was widespread support for the Order. For the number of Templars confessing to the accusations, there were just as many claiming the others were lying. In Florence, despite using torture, only 6 of…

Isabella of Angoulême b.1188-d.1246 Isabella of Angoulême was accused of bewitching her husband, King John, so that he neglected his royal duties. The claims were made by a monk, Roger of Wendover, who said she used her powers of witchcraft or sorcery to stop John defending his lands in France and so plunging the King’s reign into crisis. Isabella was much younger than her husband who was clearly smitten with her. In an age of suspicion, his lust was seen as the result of his queen using magic. Punishment None at the time, although Isabella’s reputation was clouded with suspicion from then on. Joan of Navarre b.1370-d.1437 Joan had been queen consort of Henry IV, but following his death she was accused of using witchcraft against her stepson-in-law, Henry V.…

James VI Scotland The fearful abounding at this time in this country. of these detestable slaves of the Devil, the Witches or enchanters. hath moved me (beloved reader) to dispatch in post, this following treatise of mine, not in any way (as I protest) to serve for a show of my learning and ingenuity, but only (moved of conscience) to press thereby, so far as I can. to resolve the doubting hearts of many; both that such assaults of Satan are most certainly practired. and that the instruments thereof. merit most severely to be punished." So began the preface to a remarkable book published in Edinburgh in 1597. Daemonologie was remarkable for two reasons: it was a product of the most serious witch mania ever 1D erupt in Britain, and it…

Reginald Scot (c.1538-1599) is one of the many ‘solid’ citizens of independent but quiet demeanour who formed the backbone of Tudor England. He was a landowner with modest estates in Kent, did his stint as a Justice of the Peace and served as an MP for New Romney in the Armada year. He wrote two books, both remarkable for being well-informed and commonsensical. The first (1576) was a manual on hop-growing, but his more original work was The Discoverie Of Witchcraft Wherein The Lewd Dealing Of Witches And Witchmongers Is Notablie Detected (1584). Scot was appalled by the persecution of supposed witches and set out to prove from a variety of authorities, ancient and contemporary, that belief in ‘magic’ was contrary to scripture and reason. As well as denouncing witch trials,…

Although Thomas Potts’ contemporary account of events, The Wonderfull Discoverie, is the main source of information on what took place in 1612, many of the ‘facts’ people know about the case of the witches of Pendle actually comes from two fictionalised yet highly influential versions of the story of Demdike, Chattox and their families: the mid-19th century novel The Lancashire Witches by William Harrison Ainsworth and Robert Neill’s later Mist Over Pendle. Some of the most popular and enduring inaccuracies spawned by these two works of fiction include the idea that Alice Nutter was the high-born Lady of Roughlee Hall, the belief that Pendle Hill was central to the events that took place, and, perhaps most sensationally, that Alizon Device was actually the secret love child of Alice Nutter. Despite…

When Issobell Sinclair admitted she had talked to fairies as she tried to protect cattle from harm on Hallowe'en with a sheet and some hair, she sealed her fate. The Scottish woman was hanged as a witch soon after her trial in 1633. But just a century earlier she might have gone unharmed, even wmoticed. For Isoobell was following a path that thousands of men and women had taken for centuries. White witches, also called cunning or wise folk, had been an integral part of many God fearing communities since Roman times. They made cures, gave advice and offered protection to people and their livelihoods. But as organised religion changed and fear of witchcraft spread in the 16th and 17th centuries, the thin line between their practices and the darker…

1620s • Early life There are very few records available about Hopkins’ early life, but we know he was born in Wenham, Suffolk as the son of James Hopkins, a vicar and had five siblings. 1620s • Lancaster witch trials In 1633, Jennet Device, who had herself given evidence as a minor to denounce witches, is accused of witchcraft by ten-year-old Edmund Robinson. The case is referred to the Privy Council and the king’s physician and the case is dropped, but the evidence of minors in witchcraft cases is now accepted. 1633-4 Defining moment Civil War looms, 1642 The growing political and social tensions boil over in 1642 as parliament and the king go to war over the king’s refusal to concede any of his powers. It is an event…

England 1645 Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled Witchfinder General, moved through the communities of East Anglia during the Civil War period, rooting out witches with his associate John Stearne. Although torture to obtain confessions was illegal under English law, Hopkins used other dubious practices to make suspects confess, such as sleep deprivation and walking until their feet bled. He was also responsible for swimming John Lowes, a vicar in his eighties. There were rumours that Hopkins himself was a witch and got his knowledge of how to spot witches from a pact with the Devil. He was also said to have a book with all witches’ names written within. Basque 1608-14 With people running terrified from an outbreak of witch hunting across the French border, over 2,000 found themselves interrogated and…

Since the concepts and practice of witchcraft date to classical antiquity, it follows reasonably that those who have concocted potions, chanted incantations, and cast spells throughout history should record their methods and makings for themselves and future generations While accused witches of the Middle Ages and early modern period were convenient scapegoats, targets for hunters who used them to explain the origins of famine, pestilence, disease, and other misfortune, they evidently were literate, capable of either reading and writing or availing themselves of scribes or associates who performed these services, It is estimated that roughly 80 percent of accused witches in 16th-18th century Europe were women, often old, poor and sometimes unattractive in appearance, Remarkably, so-called witches were also pioneers in medicine, chemistry, and other disciplines who managed to preserve…

The witch persona revolves around a relationship with the devil and the ability to cast spells, predict the future, heal the sick, and place curses. After their arrest, accused witches were subjected to harsh interrogation and torture. Confessions were extracted under duress, and they were often based strongly on suggestion, ranging from flying on brooms, poles or animals to meetings with the devil involving seduction, debauched ritual sex, and selling of souls in exchange for dark powers. Accused witches were stripped and searched for marks on their bodies, signs the individual was the devil’s own. Witches would cast spells for many purposes, from finding love to improving financial or social position, punishing enemies, and removing warts. Those willing to pay might purchase a spell for a good harvest. Conversely, witches…

I. Raising the alarm The Inquisition tended to deal with witchcraft on an ad hoc basis rather than through regular visits to local areas. Reports of sinister activities would usually first come to the attention of a parish priest – either through confessions or accusations. If convinced of their credibility, the priest would conduct interviews and report his initial findings to the local tribunal of the Inquisition. II. Enter the Inquisition The officers of the local tribunal would call for the transfer of suspects to the Inquisition’s jails and begin to examine evidence. This involved the quizzing of witnesses, the consultation of precedents and, crucially, attempts to secure confessions from the accused. The local tribunal was also expected to inform the Inquisition’s supreme council, the Suprema, in Madrid of its…

It is no coincidence that the Würzburg trials took place under the shadow of the Thirty Years War. This conflict, lasting from 1618 to 1648 was one of the bloodiest in human history, and is today regarded as the most destructive European religious war of all time. Initially beginning as a Protestant versus Catholic struggle, it turned into a grapple for power, sweeping up all the great nations of Europe. With entire regions devastated by famine and disease, fear swept over the continent and ravaged countrysides. With alliances formed, broken and formed again, trust was in short supply and suspicion became a part of daily life. With Germany suffering arguably the most damage, one can see how a hysteria like the witch trials took root and grew out of control.…

Reason and Righteousness An estimated 500 people were tried and executed for witchcraft in Britain between 1560 and 1717 When Janet Horne was stripped naked, covered in tar, paraded through the streets of Domoch, and burned at the stake in 1727. her grisly execution for piacticing witchcraft marked the last such retribution against a supposedly guilty individual in the British Isles. Horne was accused by neighbours of riding her daughter, born with deformities of the hands and feet. as a pony to her trysts with the Devil who actually shod the daughter to facilitate future rides. Based on the evidence, such as it was, the sheriff passed sentence that both mother and daughter should die. The daughter managed to escape. The legal grounds on which the Home verdict was rendered…

In an attempt to link modern day witchcraft practitioners with the persecuted of the past, anthropologist and folklorist Margaret Alice Murray put forward an exciting theory regarding the ancient pedigree of the 20th-century witch. According to her book, The Witch Cult In Western Europe, printed in 1921, the women and men persecuted throughout the witch trials period were, in fact, participating in an ancient fertility cult, the magic and rituals they carried out part of a long and revered tradition. After the times of persecution, the remaining witch community went underground, lying low to avoid further troubles. It never entirely died out, however, with members of the cult continuing to practice in secret before emerging, reborn, in the modern day guise of Wicca. Unfortunately for Murray and eager proponents of…

Witch Hunting Imagine for a few minutes you're a peasant in 17th-century Europe: a widow who lives in the small abode your husband left in his will. You tend a small plot of land on which you grow a number of root vegetables as well as a few herbs that have traditional medicinal properties. You're a God-fearing woman who attends church as regularly as your old bones allow and you believe in the devil even if you don't put much stock in the stories of witches who attend to Satan in the woods at night, smearing their backs with 'devil's ointment' and putting hexes on valuable livestock. Recently you've seen people from your community being led away by the bishop's men to the courthouse, accused of paganism, if the village…

THE WITCH (2015) General 17th century Although not based on one real witch figure, filmmaker Robert Eggers spent a long time researching the witch trials of the period to capture the mood of the film. And it worked. The tale of one family descending into madness and tragedy, with suspicion of the eldest daughter being a witch, perfectly captures how trying environments, lack of food and superstition can tip people over the edge. AN AMERICAN HAUNTING (2005) The tale of the Bell Witch The summer of 1817 was the beginning of the Bell Witch haunting in Tennessee. Centring around John Bell’s family, specifically his daughter Betsy, the story soon spread, especially when the witch apparently said she would kill John Bell. He did die in 1820, supposedly poisoned by the…

You would be forgiven for not knowing the story of Joan of Navarre. Queen of England She has been overshadowed in comparison to the more 'popular' female monarchs, such as the wives of Henry VIII or his daughters, despite the fact that Joan was accused of sorcery. witchcraft and conspiracy to poison the king, her own stepson Henry V. Her tale is one of love. loss. manipulation and above all, injustice. So, just how did Joan become the only queen of England to be imprisoned for witchcraft? Born in 1368, she was the daughter of the King of Navarre, Charles II, also known as 'Charles the Bad' and Jeanne de Valois. We know little about Joan's childhood, although records for the monastery of Santa Claia in Navarre show that it…

Jacques de Molay 1243 - 18 MARCH 1314 The 23rd and last grand master of the Knights Templar. Little is known of De Molay’s early life, but he subsequently became the most well known Templar. He aimed to reform the Order, a goal he was never able to fulfil. Philip IV of France 1268 - 29 NOVEMBER 1314 Also known as the Iron King, Philip led France from a feudal country to a centralised state. He had great belief in an all-powerful monarchy, and it was his ambition to fill thrones worldwide with his relatives. As well as destroying the Knights Templar, he also expelled Jews from France. Pope Clement V 1264 - 1314 Born Raymond Bertrand de Got, Clement was made pope on 5 June 1305. There is some…

FOR Although often written as one of Philip’s many trumped-up charges, there is evidence that this accusation had basis in fact. Not only did a number of Templars confess to it, but Philip’s spies, who secretly joined the Order, confirmed it. A recent discovery of the ‘Chinon Parchment’ in the Vatican library further confirms the charges. Under questioning in 1308, Jacques de Molay admitted to such practices. The charge put against the Templars read “they surrounded or touched each head of the idols with small cords, which they wore around themselves next to the shirt or the flesh.” Unlike Philip’s other charges, this accusation was so specific to the Templars that it’s difficult to believe he didn’t have some inside information. Many knights did admit to worshipping this idol, which…

It’s widely believed that witches were burned at the stake, but that gruesome punishment had actually only become a possibility some 40 years before Eleanor’s case. Her father-in-law, Henry IV, had passed the law known as De Heretico Comburendo in 1401, which authorised execution by burning for those convicted of heresy with a treasonable intent. Witchcraft was heresy, an action that went against the established religious customs of the time, and judged by ecclesiastical courts. But Henry V brought in the 1414 Suppression of Heresy Act which gave secular officials the power to arrest those suspected of dissension and hand them over to the Church so that they could then sentence them accordingly. There were a wide range of punishments: heretics in the 15th century could lose their land, their…

In Scotland, it was believed that when a witch made her – or his – pact with the devil, a mark was left to show that God and baptism had been renounced and that the witch belonged to Satan. These marks were identifiable if, when ‘pricked’, they did not bleed or cause pain. Initially carried out by ministers, the role was later taken by on by men who became known as professional prickers. The influence and prestige of this vocation started to decline from 1677 onwards, as a gradual shift in opinion led to growing questioning of their skills and authority. Early rise Although a witch pricker could find plenty of work in their local area, this was not always the case. They could have to travel considerable distance depending…

1592 • The witchcraft begins Demdike meets a devil named Tibb while out begging. Despite being told she could have anything she liked in return for giving him her soul, she resists, telling him that she wants nothing. 1592 Defining moment Demdike succumbs 1598 After resisting temptation for several years, Demdike sends a spirit on her daughter’s behalf to get revenge on Richard Baldwin after he fails to pay her. Around the same time, Demdike persuades her friend, Anne Whittle, alias Chattox, to likewise turn to a life of witchcraft. Chattox initially refuses, but finally permits Tibb, the same spirit that coerced Demdike to suck at a place by her right ribs. Thus two notorious witches were born: things soon sour however as the pair come into competition with each…

One of the most well-known of witch tests, the practice of swimming a witch began in popularity on the continent. A suspect was bound hand to toe and lowered or thrown into water; if they floated, they were guilty, rejected by the water of baptism, and if they went under the water they were declared to be innocent. This method of testing for witchcraft spread to England through James VI & I’s Daemonologie in 1597, but the first recorded instance of its usage wasn’t until several years later in 1612 when Mary Sutton of Bedfordshire was swum and found to be a witch. Weighing against the Church Bible was another popular practice throughout Europe to determine if a suspect was a witch. Those lighter than the Bible were guilty of…

The body of written texts associated with witchcraft varies widely and includes books of magic spells called grimoires, medieval AngloSaxon medical tomes called leechbooks, and volumes of cryptic symbols known as sigils that have often been associated with sorcery or otherwise serve as the signature of a demon. The grimoire is a general handbook for witches, and its origin is nearly as old as the practice itself. Grimoires include spells, incantations, instructions for making talismans and amulets, and procedures for summoning angels, demons, and other-worldly spirits. The earliest grimoires are believed to have been produced in ancient Mesopotamia and predate the 4th century BCE. An essential component of a witch’s work, they have been produced across millennia, and the books themselves have at times been considered sources of supernatural power…

Another supernatural tall-tale that was met, by turns, with credulity and scepticism concerned the so-called donas de fuera (or “ladies from outside”). The term applied to a race of fairy-like female creatures (often described as strikingly beautiful and possessing animal hands or feet) and the human beings who associated with them. The donas’ home was Sicily which, because the island was a Spanish possession at the time, brought them to the attention of the Spanish Inquisition. Again, the Inquisition appears to have been more interested in investigation than overly harsh punishment: between 1579 and 1651, 65 people (including eight men) were accused of involvement. A blend of positive and negative activities was attributed to the accused group. On the one hand, it was suggested that those who offended the donas…

• January - mid-February 1692 Cousins Abigail Williams and Betty Parris fall victim to a strange illness. They are diagnosed by a local doctor as being bewitched, and a witch cake is made to confirm this theory. • March Accused by the girls, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba are arrested and questioned before a packed meetinghouse. Tituba confesses to harming the girls under duress by the other two. • April More Salem residents are named as doing the devil’s work and arrested as witchcraft fears spread. Reverend George Burroughs, the former minister for Salem, is accused by the girls. • May George Burroughs is arrested and Sarah Osborne dies in prison. The newly arrived Governor William Phips orders a court of Oyer and Terminer to be established to try…

Helen Duncan had exhibited some talent for psychic activity throughout her life, and by adulthood she had progressed to holding séances and attempting to contact the dead through a process of emitting ectoplasm from her mouth. Analysis once proved that this evidence of the supernatural was a concoction that included cheesecloth and egg whites. During one séance held in 1933, Duncan was arrested when the appearance of an apparition was revealed to be a hoax. Convicted of fraudulent mediumship, she was fined £10. Although she had drawn the attention of the authorities on more than one occasion, real alarm was raised following a séance in Portsmouth in November 1941, when Great Britain was embroiled in World War II. During the proceedings, Duncan revealed that the battleship HMS Barham had been…

The Witch-Finder General England Matthew Hopkins, the selftitled ‘Witch-Finder General’, was an English witch-hunter who was active from 16441647, during which time he was responsible for the execution of 300 convicted witches. He introduced many witch tests that could be considered farcical if it weren’t for their dire consequences. His work was sanctioned by Parliament, but he quickly gained a bad reputation for his methods. After his death, he became the bogeyman of his own vile story. His real legacy, however, was his book The Discovery of Witches, which gained traction in the colonies of late 17th-century America, especially in a community called Salem. Prince-Bishop of Wurzburg Germany With blue-bloods and the Pope behind him, Philipp Adolf von Ehrenberg was a powerful man in what is now southern Germany. A…

Like in other areas of her life, Gunnhild wielded her sexual prowess as a weapon. After Erik’s death, Gunnhild took a younger lover and made no secret of it. Hrut, a young Icelander, caught Gunnhild’s eye when he arrived from the west by boat, armed with the task of pursuing a man named Soti who had taken his inheritance. Gunnhild unabashedly offered her help with his plight, suggesting that he and his friend Ozur stay with her over the winter. Being patroned by a powerful Viking queen like Gunnhild changed the course of Hrut’s life forever. While we see other women in the sagas shrinking away from their men’s rough embraces, Gunnhild breaks convention by flaunting her affair with Hrut, kissing and embracing him in public. She even spent two…

Today, modern historians agree that the charges of treason and witchcraft brought against Joan were a complete lie, made up by the king to deprive her of the wealth she was due. This does not mean that Joan’s contemporaries took the same view of their dowager queen – in fact, many denounced her for her so-called use of sorcery, witchcraft and necromancy. It is worth noting that, although Joan was likeable enough, some considered that the charges of witchcraft made against her were entirely possible. As a foreigner who brought nothing to the table with her marriage, Joan was treated with suspicion and her marriage was initially unpopular. Of course, this is a situation that a number of foreign royal spouses have experienced throughout history. However, Joan’s lineage also gave…

Seneschal Also known as the grand commander, the seneschal was the grand master’s righthand man and adviser. He was responsible for many administrative duties; during peacetime he would manage the Order’s lands, and in war would organise the movement of the men and supplies. Marshal The marshal was in control of everything to do with war. He was responsible for all the arms and horses, as well as a host of other military matters. The grand master would consult with the marshal before going ahead with any battle tactics. Commanders of lands There were commanders of three lands: Jerusalem, Antioch and Tripoli. The commander of Jerusalem also acted as treasurer, while the other commanders had specific regional responsibilities according to their cities. They were responsible for the Templar houses, farms…

As the cold winter days of November turned into the icy nights of December 1441. one of the most famous royal women in Europe faced up to a life sentence in jail. The prisoner - Eleanor of Gloucester - had already had to deal with public humiliation and she knew she would die behind bars. Yet just six months earlier she had been a royal duchess and wife of the heir to the throne, only one step away from being Queen of England. That very proximity to the crown may well have led to the accusations of witchcraft. which had put her in prison - claims that were the downfall of a duchess. Her conviction for witchcraft caused shock waves across Europe and it would change the way England was…

The Spring day in 1464 was bright and fair as Edward IV, England’s first Yorkist king, rode with the hunt in Whittlebury Forest. Whether his thoughts lay on his quarry, the weather or the tumultuous times that had brought him the crown, they were soon to be caught by another matter entirely. For there, standing beneath an oak tree, stood the most beautiful of women, a small boy clutching each hand as she watched him approach. Without hesitation she threw herself into his path, pleading with the king to intercede in a matter that would restore the dower lands that were rightly hers and keep her small family from poverty. In that moment the king was struck, not by the earthly arrow of the hunt, but by the arrow of…

Kingdom of Scotland Tried: 4,000-6,000 Executed: 1,500 Unlike their neighbours, it wasn’t purely maleficium that concerned the Scottish church and crown, it was the act of sorcery itself. From 1563, witchcraft and consulting with witches were crimes against God and the crown – capital offences and therefore punishable by death. The trials were held in secular courts, but the Kirk was an unstoppable force, often responsible for evidence gathering and the prosecution. With James VI’s feelings on the matter well known and his own literature acting as a guide, judges knew exactly what was expected of them when it came to laying down the law on matters of great goat-headed conspiracy. Kingdom of England Tried: 1,000 Executed: 500 An Act Against Conjurations, Enchantments and Witchcrafts (1563) made a felony of…

Although belief in magic of all kinds was widespread and an integral part of folk religion, there was, in the 17th century, a small but growing band of thinking men who expressed doubt in the very existence of witchcraft and condemned the treatment of those suspected of it. As early as 1584, Reginald Scot had written Discoverie of Witchcraft, denying the existence of witchcraft, and his book was reprinted in the aftermath of the Hopkins’ crusade. The man who clashed with Hopkins head-on and challenged him in print was John Gaule (c.1603-1687), a Huntingdonshire Puritan vicar. After interviewing a woman detained at St Neots awaiting Hopkins’ investigation, he voiced his misgivings to the local MP and explained them at length in Select Cases of Conscience Touching Witches and Witchcraft. He…

Fines The purpose of a financial payment from the convicted witch to their supposed victim was not actually that of punishing the witch. In the majority of cases, fines served as a method of restoration, a symbolic and practical sign that the accused was repentant and that matters had been put right between the two parties, with order and reconciliation restored to the satisfaction of both sides. This punishment was common in trials before village courts in Poland throughout the period of witchcraft prosecutions and also in Wales, where, interestingly, there were minimal executions. Galleys Although spared the noose or stake, being sent to row in the convict galleys was a hell all by itself: branded so they could not escape and with no rights and backbreaking conditions, they were…

Sometime during the late 1940s, Gerald Gardner, the acknowledged father of Wicca, wrote his Book Of Shadows, subsequently introducing it to the members of his Bricket Wood coven. While Book Of Shadows is a term generally used to describe a witch’s personal volume containing their own incantations and rituals, Gardner contended that his book included information he had been given as a member of the New Forest coven decades earlier along with his own contributions. Although he asserted that sections of the book had their origins in early witchcraft historiography, sections were actually attributable to other books as well, such as the Key Of Solomon, a text probably from the Renaissance, the Gospel Of The Witches written by Charles Godfrey Leland and purported to be the religious book of an…

Hand of God The people of Salem believed that the trials were punishment for not following the will of God. They had sinned, and because of their “inordinate love of the world”, God had let the devil trick them into accusing and executing their neighbours. Fraud A popular and early theory, the girls were, quite simply, faking it. They wanted attention and saw their “fits” and other torments as a way to get this, bringing them the status that they craved. Acid Trip It has been suggested that the symptoms displayed by the girls were actually caused by ergotism or rye poisoning. The afflicted villagers had eaten bread made from the infected rye, leading to the alarming fits and convulsions. Indian Scare The Second Indian War overlapped with the Salem…

Spectral evidence 1 Victims of witchcraft often spoke of being tormented by the apparition of the accused witch, even if the actual person was elsewhere at the time. Whether to allow the admission of this form of evidence was hotly debated during the Salem trials. Witch's touch 2 One of the simplest but most dramatic of tests to witness: the accused party was invited to touch the victim – if they fell into fits and convulsions, then this was proof that the accused was guilty of bewitching them. Eyewitness account 3 If someone came forward to say they had seen the accused carrying out acts of witchcraft, this could be all the evidence needed – especially if the witness was of good reputation and the suspected witch was not. Lord's…

Often named as the last person convicted of witchcraft in England, elderly Jane Wenham of Walkern in Hertfordshire was one of the last to face trial and to be found guilty of the crime. Accused initially of bewitching a servant of Chapman’s, 17-year-old Anne Thorn then came forward, unleashing a string of accusations against Wenham that saw the old woman become the talk of the area and beyond. Bearing the hallmarks and motifs of the earlier trials of the witch hunt era, Wenham was accused of causing fits, making the girl vomit pins, and tormenting Anne in the form of a cat. As matters grew out of hand, the old woman was derided and physically assaulted, with the situation in Walkern reaching fever pitch. Opinion against Wenham was radically divided,…