Context of East Anglia

Question 1

When did the East Anglia Witch Hunt take place?

Answer 1

1645-1647

Question 2

How many people were accused or faced trial?

Answer 2

700, 80% of them were women

Question 3

Where did the East Anglia witch hunt take place?

Answer 3

In 7 counties across East Anglia, including Suffolk, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire

Question 4

When did the English Civil War begin and end?

Answer 4

1642-1649

Question 5

Why was England at war?

Answer 5

King Charles I had overstepped his power as King.

He imposed the Ship Tax across the country which was only meant for coastal towns during war.

He married a Catholic woman and began to treat Protestants badly.

Question 6

What were the two sides of the war?

Answer 6

Catholic, Royalist Sympathisers

Protestant/ Puritan, Parliamentarian Sympathisers

Question 7

How was the Suffolk population affected by the Civil War?

Answer 7

20% of men were taken to fight for Parliament

The Eastern Association provided many troops for the Parliamentarian army

Question 8

How did the traditional power authorities change as a result of the Civil War?

Answer 8

Many men died in battle → fears around women becoming too powerful

The Church of England was weaker under Charles→ the authority of the church was undermined

The local gentry went away to fight → their long term absence meant their authority was undermined

Question 9

What impact did all of this have on the view of women?

Answer 9

Women were seen to be becoming too powerful and people translated their fears of the war to a fear in women and witches

FEAR of witches as “bad women” and “bad mothers”

Question 10

How do we know that there was genuine concern around the changing perception of women?

Answer 10

Women joined extreme sects like Ranters and the Anabaptists, and began to preach/give prophecy

Women became deeply involved in politics, attempting to influence the outcome of political issues through petitions and protests.

They formed a significant portion of the peace movement.

Question 11

Why did women confess to being witches?

Answer 11

Some women genuinely believed that they had magical powers; others may have been mentally ill.

Some women had thoughts of killing their children as they were unable to provide for them due to the war.

Question 12

How was the religious context of the time an influence?

Answer 12

Good and bad things were explained in terms of God and the devil.

Thoughts of depression and suicide, were viewed as the effects of the devil

Clear gender roles in society, the Puritan expectation was that women would be be good mothers and wives

Question 13

What was the religious context of East Anglia during the C17th?

Answer 13

There was a strong Puritan influence that had been present since the reign of King James I

Question 14

What are 3 things to know about Puritanism in relation to witchcraft?

Answer 14

1. There was a strong focus on the importance of Scripture and its role in guiding how people lived their lives
2. People were innately sinful and could therefore be tempted by the Devil
3. Culturally women were less important, and attempts to increase their power/influence was sinful

Question 15

How did changes in prices and wages affect people’s lives?

Answer 15

Inflation was a big issue, prices of livestock increased by 12% and grain increased by 15%

Wages didn’t increase, this led to poverty
They needed a scapegoat for economic problems

Question 16

How did soldiers and armies affect the local economic landscape?

Answer 16

Armies needed resources:

• Horses that worked on the fields were confiscated by armies
• Armies took food from farms and fields as they were marching through the area

Question 17

What was introduced in 1643?

Answer 17

A new type of tax - In East Anglia it was 12 times higher than Ship Tax

Question 18

What happened to the function of the Assize court?

Answer 18

They were unable to function normally, as a result Lord magistrates and other locals gave out justice instead

Question 19

What evidence is there that the lack of functioning assize courts had an impact on the course of the hunt?

Answer 19

The Earl of Warwick - no legal experience at all, sent 19 women to hang in 1645 during the assize courts, shows that the it caused the intensity of the hunt to increase

Question 20

Why were laws difficult to implement?

Answer 20

There was no Kingly authority

Question 21

How did difficulty implementing laws lead to an increase in tension?

Answer 21

The witch hunt was able to spread quickly as there was nothing to stop them

Local fears intensified as they didn’t know who to blame for their problems

Hopkins and Stearne were gratefully received by locals because of their knowledge and efficiency

Question 22

What led to increased poverty in East Anglia?

Answer 22

There was crop failure as a result of very wet weather and ergot - this caused hallucinations if eaten by humans

Further inflation: meat and cheese prices rose by 20%

Landlords enclosed land and evicted tenants:

• Sir Sandys (Ely), some of the women who protested later became accused and executed witches
• Margaret Moore: Evicted as she couldn’t afford more rent, she became reliant on charity. She was then accused for causing life stock failures and a child’s murder.

Question 23

How did Puritans interpret this economic situation?

Answer 23

As a punishment from God, they believed that it was a sign that Charles should not be returned to the throne

They also believed that idleness means sinfulness and some stopped providing charity

Elizabeth Clarke and Anne West evidence of this

Question 24

How did this lead to an increase in tension around witchcraft?

Answer 24

It became easy to blame misfortune on witches especially with their supposed connection to the Devil

Wealthier members feared that old women beggars would use magic in revenge

Question 25

What do some historians see the hunts as?

Answer 25

Organised and deliberate violence against women

Question 26

What did most of the accusations focus on?

Answer 26

Female tasks and female spaces- the home, kitchin, nursery, feeding

In East Anglia, poor women were involved in dairy farming so if the milk curdled or cows died they were accused

Question 27

What was Hopkins particularly keen to find evidence of?

Answer 27

Evidence of sexual activity with the Devil
Murders of husbands and children

Idea of “bad mothers” and “bad women”

Question 28

How did Hopkins and Stearne become involved in witch hunting?

Answer 28

Stearne was given permission to hunt witches first by Manningtree magistrates.

Hopkins volunteered to help him.

Question 29

Why did Hopkins want to be involved in the hunts?

Answer 29

He is kept awake at night by a meeting of witches near his house in Manningtree in 1644.

Question 30

How did Hopkins and Stearnes careers as witch hunters develop?

Answer 30

The first witches were all women and they presented their accusations.

Slowly, they began offering their services to towns and parishes for a fee.

Question 31

Which social class did the majority of victims come from?

Answer 31

Most likely lower orders and illiterate classes- gentry and authority are absent due to war

Question 32

How far did the hunts spread?

Answer 32

7 counties- including Essex, Suffolk, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire

Hopkins and Stearne began the hunts together but eventually went separate ways.

Question 33

Was there a pattern to the hunts?

Answer 33

No, they just followed the money

Question 34

Why did they become good at their job?

Answer 34

People liked them because they made assessments of potential witches quickly and efficiently before moving on

Question 35

What were they given in return?

Answer 35

Fees and expenses: food, lodgings, horses

Question 36

What was their role in the hunts?

Answer 36

To search and investigate, they only stayed long enough to set legal proceedings in motion

Question 37

What did Hopkins and Stearne claim about their fees?

Answer 37

That they were reasonable and good value

They claimed that they charged 20 shillings

Question 38

What does the evidence tell us about this?

Answer 38

They actually charged a lot more

In Kings Lynn Hopkins was given £2

In Bury St Edmunds, the total cost was over £130

Question 39

How did execution costs differ and how did some communities respond?

Answer 39

It cost three times as much to execution by burning compared to execution by hanging

Communities in Suffolk were taxed to cover the growing cost of trials and hunts

Question 40

What happened when the Royalist gentry began to return home?

Answer 40

They punished tenants and servants if they had been involved in fighting for the Parliamentarians

Question 41

What happened to the legal structures?

Answer 41

East Anglia became a safe place again, and the assize judges could visit again

Question 42

What impact did these things have on witch hunting?

Answer 42

The Puritan hold over the area was being disturbed

More and more witches were being acquitted (found innocent)

Question 43

What happened in 1647?

Answer 43

There was an assize court where several of Hopkins and Stearnes cases were being heard

The local gentry gave the judges a list of questions

Question 44

Who influenced the questions?

Answer 44

John Gaule

Question 45

What were some of the questions?

Answer 45

Was Hopkin’s himself a witch, because he had great knowledge of sorcery?

Why are so many condemned with strange marks when these can occur naturally?

The swimming test is not allowed by law- why was he using it?