East Anglia Witch Hunt Flashcards
When did the East Anglia Witch Hunt take place?
1645-1647
How many people were accused or faced trial?
700 people
80% of them were women.
Where did the East Anglia witch hunt take place?
In 7 counties across East Anglia, including Suffolk, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.
What happened in 1625?
Charles becomes King in 1625 , and establishes a pro-Catholic Church.
What was the breakdown in traditional authority?
20% of men left the area to fight in the English Civil War → changing role of women.
What did men leaving East Anglia do?
Shift in traditional power relationships.
How did the Civil War impact the assize courts?
The assize courts were unable to function, as battles made it was unsafe for assize judges to travel.
What was the impact of this breakdown in traditional authority?
Various fears began to grow → It began as a fear of the enemy but as a result of the war, becomes a fear of the enemy within.
What was the economic crisis in East Anglia?
A crop disease called ergot developed in wheat and rye → the price of wheat increased by 20%
How did people in East Anglia react to this crop failure?
The religious nature of society meant that they saw it as a sign from God
→ Puritans saw it as a punishment from God, and held witches accountable for being sinful and being the reason for the punishment.
What was introduced in 1634 which made the economic crisis worse?
1643: The Weekly Assessment, a new tax created by parliament to cover the cost of the war.
What did landlords begin to do in East Anglia?
Landlords realised that they could make more money by evicting their tenants, and enclosing the land to farm one particular product.
What happened in Ely with changing land use?
Ely: Sir Sandys was an aggressive landlord and evicted 30 families across 4000 acres of land.
What was the impact of this changing land use in Ely?
→ When the witch hunt reached Ely, a number of suspected witches had also been involved in the earlier rioting.
What happened to inflation in East Anglia?
Inflation increased even higher than previously
→ Livestock increased by 12%, grain by 15%.
What was the trend of the accused witches in East Anglia?
Accused witches were often elderly, widowed, poor women who relied on support from their neighbours, outbreak of war changed this.
What was East Anglia’s history with witch hunting?
By 1644 Essex had held more witchcraft trials than anywhere else in England.
What happens to witch trials in East Anglia after Charles comes to power?
Under Charles I witch trials began to decline
→ 1625-1642: 27 trials in the home circuits.
How did East Anglia’s history impact the 1654 witch hunt?
The 1645 hunt was in response to this, it had been established in people’s minds that hunting witches and persecuting Catholics were clearly linked.
What is the timeline of the witch hunt?
March 1645- Elizabeth Clark and Rebecca West are interrogated
July 1645- The first witches are tried at Chelmsford
August 1645- 18 witches hanged at Bury St Edmunds
1647- Hopkins attends the Norfolk assizes and is subject to fierce questioning of his activities; witch hunting ends.
Who accidentally implicates himself?
John Lowes by defending Ann Annson.
What is first tested on Lowes?
The Swimming Test
What does Lowes confess?
Making a pact with the Devil
Where are Hopkins and Stearne invited?
A coast in Norfolk
How many witches are tried in Norfolk, 1645?
40
When does Hopkins get questioned about his methods?
1647
Why would working women get accused?
If something went wrong in the agricultural-domestic atmosphere.
What did Hopkins seek out?
Women who had a sexual connection to the Devil.
What was regularly referred to in the trials with women?
The murder of husbands and children.
Evidence of this gender context?
20% of accused witches charged with harming children.
What backgrounds were the witches from?
Any, but most likely illiterate, lower class members of society
Did Hopkins and Stearne have any official qualifications?
No
What did they receive from towns?
Lots of money: on average, towns would pay £23 overall
What were they concerned with finding?
- Relationship between witch and devil
- The devil’s mark
- Imps of familiars
What methods did they use to reveal confessions?
- Isolate suspected witch for ages
- Search for Devil’s mark
- Sleep deprivation
- Torture
- Endless walking
- Swimming test
How much was it to keep a prisoner in jail, per day?
3 pence per prisoner, per day.
What cost £50?
Ipswich to imprison witches.
Why did they have to implement funding schemes?
Because they couldn’t afford to feed the prisoners.
What is evidence of the assizes becoming too expensive?
Judge Godbold invoiced a town for £130
How much did Hopkins and Stearne claim the charge was per visit?
20 shillings, but they often demanded more.
Who maintained control of the country?
Parliament
Who returned to their estates?
Wealthy royalists
What led to a decrease in fear of witchcraft?
End of Civil War meant some relief to suffering, although some harvests continued to be poor.
Evidence of Hopkin’s decreasing influence?
King’s Lynn: he showed evidence against 9 witches, but all prisoners pleaded not guilty.
What was presented to Hopkins and Stearne in 1647?
A list of questions suggesting their connection to the Devil.
Where did Gaule publish criticisms of Hopkins and Stearne?
‘Select Cases of Conscience Touching Witches and Witchcraft’
What did Gaule state in his book?
–> affirmed existence of witches, but criticised methods used
–> pleaded for common sense and the restraint of recklessly following up accusations
–> complained about people praising witch finders more than God
What did Gaule launch?
Campaigns of preaching
What did Gaule express?
The unlikeliness that every witch had a connection with the devil, and that witch hunts should be from magistrates not random individuals
What impact did Gaule have?
Convinced authorities that witch finding was no longer necessary.
