East Anglia - Why the hunts began

Question 1

What are the 3 paragraphs for why the hunts began about?

Answer 1

• Breakdown of legal structure
• Breakdown or traditional authority
• Economic crisis

Question 2

What evidence was there for the breakdown of legal structure?

Answer 2

• Assize courts unable to function normally -> justice carried out by local magistrates
• To dangerous for judges to make journey away from London (New Model Army)

Question 3

What RC was there for the breakdown of legal structure?

Answer 3

1642 Charles declares war on parliament -> led to civil war

Question 4

What was the impact of the breakdown of legal structure?

Answer 4

• Local fears grew (didn’t know who to go to for problems)
• Hunts could happen as no one could stop them
• Increase support of Hopkins

Question 5

What is the link for the breakdown of legal structure?

Answer 5

• Tells us society was looking for people to blame

- Makes prosecution of witchcraft easier

Question 6

What evidence is there for the breakdown of traditional authority?

Answer 6

• 20% of men went to fight in war
• Church became weak under Charles
• Local gentry went away to fight

Question 7

What RC was there for the breakdown of traditional authority?

Answer 7

Men and the church had control and authority

Question 8

What was the impact of the breakdown of traditional authority?

Answer 8

• Women see as becoming too powerful, turned fear of war into women
• Fear developed of enemy within

Question 9

What is the link for the breakdown of traditional authority?

Answer 9

• Importance of social control and authority

- Changed attitudes to witchcraft through fear of women

Question 10

What evidence is there for the economic crisis?

Answer 10

• Crop failure (wet summers and ergot)
• Inflation (livestock 12%, grain 15%)
• Weekly assessment (12x more than ship tax)

Question 11

What RC is there for the economic crisis?

Answer 11

Ship tax previously in place (tax already unpopular)

Question 12

What was the impact of the economic crisis?

Answer 12

• Saw crop failure as punishment from God -> blamed witches for misfortune (Charles should not return to throne)
• Women fell into begging (Margaret Moone) ->blamed for bad crops

Question 13

What is the link for the economic crisis?

Answer 13

• Tells us about importance of the economy on beliefs

- Large impact (farmers, poverty)