East Anglia 1645-47

Question 1

what was the estimated number of deaths

Answer 1

400 people

Question 2

how much was Hopkins and Stearne fee

Answer 2

£23 from one town

Question 3

what did Hopkins and Stearne claim to charge

Answer 3

20 shillings per town

Question 4

what did the countries in east anglia form and what did this do

Answer 4

the eastern association

which provided a significant number of troops for the parliamentarian war effort

Question 5

an example of civil war activists

Answer 5

levellers and the diggers

stated there should be no private ownership of land

Question 6

when did Charles dissolve parliament and why

Answer 6

1629 following his approach to government finance

Question 7

when did Charles recall parliament

Answer 7

in 1640 in order to persuade them to vote him the funds to fight a war with the Scots who had rebelled against Charles decision to impose the English prayer book on them

Question 8

what religion were the MPs

Answer 8

many of them were puritans

Question 9

why wer Charles religious policy disliked by MPs

Answer 9

it was formulated by Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud

the policies seemed to be catholic in appearance

Question 10

an example of the taxes Charles collected

Answer 10

Ship Money which was suppose to be levied on coastal countries but Charles extended this to the whole of the uk

Question 11

what did Charles attempt to do in January 1642

Answer 11

arrest 5 members of parliament who acted as ringleaders to attempt to restrict his powers but they fled and Charles left London to raise an army

Question 12

what signalled the start of the civil war

Answer 12

august 1642 Charles raised his standard at Nottingham

the first battle at edge hill in October 1542 is regarded as a draw

Question 13

what was the new model army

Answer 13

an army assembled by parliamentarians in 1645 with its core soldiers taken from the eastern association

Question 14

how effective was the new model army

Answer 14

helped parliamentarians gain a decisive victory in battle of naseby June 1645

Question 15

how many members left east anglia to join the parliamentarians

Answer 15

around 20 percent

Question 16

an example of a witch who was impacted by her husband joining the army

Answer 16

it left women vulnerable to accusations
Margery Sparham confessed to entertaining the devils imps in the shape of a mole and 2 blackbirds
it was recorded by court she had been left alone and vulnerable when her husband went to fight in the war

Question 17

how did radical puritan sects increase convictions

Answer 17

these sects believed women were equivalent to men

the war provided the opportunity for suspicions to be brought to the surface

Question 18

how did traditional authority structures breakdown

Answer 18

assize courts, specifically the Chelmsford assize court couldn’t properly function

Question 19

what were the stories about royalists

Answer 19

royalist woman from Lancashire was reported to have given birth to a headless baby, the body of a habitual sinner was dug up by dogs and eaten

Question 20

how did men leaving affect women

Answer 20

began to swear and drink like men did

Question 21

how did puritans undermine traditional authority

Answer 21

in areas controlled by parliaments undesirable ministers were ejected from their churches and often replaced by puritans

Question 22

why were assize courts disrupted in east anglia

Answer 22

it was considered too dangerous for judges from London to journey there

Question 23

what did prince Rupert, Charles nephew advise

Answer 23

advised Charles to renew peace negotiations but Charles moved his forces towards the east
it became aware that fighting in the region was now inevitable

Question 24

when and who took over chemslford assize courts

Answer 24

in July 1645
Earl of Warwick one of the most senior Parliamentarians was commissioned too oversee the Essex assizes at chelmsford
he possessed little legal experience

Question 25

who did the earl of Warwick work closely with

Answer 25

county magistrates - LOCAL COURTS

such as Sir John Barrington, Sir Martin Lumley

Question 26

how many witches did the earl of Warwick sentence to death

Answer 26

19 women to be hanged

Question 27

how was Suffolk also affected by disruption of the assize t

Answer 27

troops being mobilised from all over east anglia to engage in Charles forces in huntingdon
it was decided that the assizes at bury st Edmunds would be suspended
prisoners who were already condemned would be immediately executed no appeals
commission at bury was presided over not by a judge but John Godbolt a barrister

Question 28

how did breakdown of senior judges mean Hopkins and stearne were welcomed

Answer 28

witch hunts were able to spread quickl, mayors and town councillors were thankful to pay for the services of Hopkins and stearne

Question 29

how did Hopkins and stearne increase confessions

Answer 29

although they didnt act as judges they were able to interrogate suspects and collect evidence in order to take cases to court resulting in an English record of 42% conviction rate

Question 30

an example of crop failure increasing prices

Answer 30

the year Charles surrendered the price of wheat rose by 20%

Question 31

how did puritans perceive crop failures

Answer 31

punishment from god

a sign that Charles should not be returned to the throne and he should be punished

Question 32

how was changing land use affecting the poor

Answer 32

as the rich were able to acquire more land to feed their cattle, the poorer residents of parishes felt shut out from any prosperity.

Question 33

what could landlord do to their tenants

Answer 33

landlords who lent lands to tenants were increasingly tempted by the improved profits that could be made from evicting their tenants and enclosing land in order to focus on one agricultural product

Question 34

what were wealthy residents expected to pay

Answer 34

poor rates to support the poor but some of them saw this as subsidising lifestyles they believed as feckless
those who benefit from enclosure were unlikely to give to beggars

Question 35

an example of the impact of changing land use

Answer 35

in the Isle of Ely, Sir Miles Sandys had acquired large estates in 1620s and he enclosed 4000 acres of common land, 30 families had even built houses on these lands they were then evicted from
the inhabitants of Sutton presented a petition to Court of Chancery with 100 signatures to allow them to minute using common land but this failed
people began rioting in 1630s and many of the suspected witches facing trials in Ely in 1647 had connections to earlier unrest

Question 36

since the start of the civil war what was the increased on the price of livestock

Answer 36

12% to 15%

Question 37

what attic did parliament devise to deal with cost of war

Answer 37

1643, parliament devised a new tax to meet the increasing cost of war the weekly assessment
in the counties of eastern association the was collected at 12x the rate of ship money

Question 38

why was Margaret Moore accused of being a witch

Answer 38

not far from Manningtree
she had been evicted from her cottage when a men offered her landlord 10 shillings more than she could afford every month = guzumped
she fell into begging and was later blamed for the deaths of livestock and crop failures as well as the murder of a child

Question 39

when did Matthew Hopkins first become concerned with witches

Answer 39

in 1644 when he was kept awake at night by what he claimed to be meetings of witches near his house in Manningtree

Question 40

who was among the first witches assessed in manning tree

Answer 40

Elizabeth Clarke

Question 41

following the original accusations what did Hopkins and stearne then do

Answer 41

began working together to identify more
in march 1645 rhey presented accusations to magistrate Sir Harbottle Grimston
H + S didnt act as judges themselves but began to offer their services as witch finders for a fee

Question 42

what was Harbottle Grimstons role in trials

Answer 42

many of the original witches in 1645 were tenants of Grimston or lived illegally on his land
together with Sir Thomas Bowe, he investigated witchcraft accusations in and around Manningtre working with Hopkins and Stearne

Question 43

the procedure of Elizabeth Clarkes trial

Answer 43

Clarke was an older women with 1 leg
4 women searches her body
she was then watched for several nights
Hopkins claimed several familiars appeared and they were welcomed by Clarke, referring to their names such as a rabbit called Sack and Sugar

Question 44

following Clarkes arrest was did Stearne and Hopkins do

Answer 44

took the hunt to other parishes near Manningtree
in July trials held at Chelmsford for the 1st batch of witches and nearly 20 were found guilty, 19 executed including Elizabeth Clarke

Question 45

how did Hopkins investigate John Lowes

Answer 45

he had spoken in defence of Ann Annson who had been previously accused of witchcraft, he claimed she was as much of a witch as he was
the parishioners took this as a confession of guilt and Hopkins subjected hi to swimming test where he floated
after interrogation he confessed ti making a pact with the devil and sinking a ship off port of harwich which resulted in the deaths of 14 people

Question 46

where did Hopkins and stearne face problems

Answer 46

John gauge objected to their presence in his communist

Question 47

where was Hopkins met with hostility

Answer 47

1647 norfolk assize subjected him to hostile questioning about his activitiess by officials who had become suspicious

Question 48

where did Hopkins and stearne follow

Answer 48

followed the money that was available and communities already harbouring resentment and suspicions
- the path of William Dowsing the Iconoclast general

Question 49

an example of witches being from lower classes

Answer 49

in ely all but one - 94% of witches left only their mark shows illiteracy which was common among the poor

Question 50

did Hopkins and stearne hold legal qualifications

Answer 50

no

Question 51

what title was used by Hopkins

Answer 51

he used the title of witch finder general but this was not awarded to him by parliament

Question 52

what was Hopkins brought up as

Answer 52

a Puritan

his father had been a hugely respected minister at Great Wenham in Suffolk

Question 53

how did Hopkins come into inheritance

Answer 53

he had two older brothers

hut he came into inheritance and was able to establish himself as a gentlemen in Manningtree

Question 54

how did Hopkins position as an outsider increase his trustworthiness

Answer 54

had an ‘objective position’

which was similar to the role of the assize

Question 55

what did William Dowsing do

Answer 55

the iconoclast general

1633-34 tasked with seeking out statues and idols associated with catholicism = showed areas receptive to witchcraft

Question 56

who received the first warrant from Grimston

Answer 56

stearne
hopkins had volunteered to assist him
suggested at the beginning of the hunts for Elizabeth Clarke to be subjected to swimming test but was likely blocked by magistrates

Question 57

what was Hopkins salary equivalent to

Answer 57

a skilled craftsmen 52 week 6 days a week per year

Question 58

how did the grown costs of trails cause the decline of hunts

Answer 58

could not longer afford hunts
Ipswich - £50 to keep witch in jail while they awaited their date at the assize
Judge at Bury St Edmunds sent an invoice of £130
Mary Lakeland was executed at Yarmouth by burning which was 3x more expensive than hanging -£3 execution alone
in total the cost at Aldeburgh was £40

Question 59

how did the end of the civil war decline hunts

Answer 59

Majority of fighting ceased when Charles surrendered to the Scots at Newark in 1646, east anglia was then safe enough to be visited by assize judges more regularly

Question 60

evidence of judicial hesistance to prosecute

Answer 60

Hopkins visited Kings Lynn to give evidence against 9 witches he had interrogated the judge Miles Corbett who had found a number of witches guilty in previous years - 7 were acquitted and 2 were convicted Hopkins was given£2 and then left

Question 61

how did the role of John gale cause a decline in hunts

Answer 61

was aware his parishioners between St Neots and Kimbolton were blaming witches for their misfortunes
gauge then published his criticisms of Hopkins ‘Select Cases of Conscience touching Witches and Witchcraft’ 1646 affirming the existence of witches but criticising Hopkins method
his work helped to convince judges that the witch hunt was no longer necessary as traditional authority was re-established