East Anglian trials Flashcards
How many deaths were Hopkins/Stearne accountable for?
400
Witch hunts made a lucrative fee - how much money for each town did Hopkins/Stearne make?
£23
Which biblical quote does Hoopkins use to justify witch hunts in his “The Discovery of Witches”?
Exodus (22.18) “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live”
In their defense of witch-hunts, how much did Hopkins and Stearne claim they charged per town?
20 shillings
What was the collective name for the counties of East Anglia?
The Eastern Association
Who became king of in 1625?
Charles I
As parliament became a more important institution through the stuart period, what did it’s duties include?
law making/amending with the approval of the monarch
taxation
In 1629 what did Charles do to parliament?
He dissolved parliament and ruled alone for 11 years, recalling parliament in 1640 to persuade them to vote him funds to fight a war with the Scots who had rebelled over imposed English Prayer Book.
What was Ship Money?
Taxes levied on coastal towns for fleets, but was extended to the entire country. The resultant financial demand on inland gentry caused resentment towards Charles.
What factors contributed to an already fragile economy in East Anglia?
Crop failure - wet summers, and freezing winters - in 1646 the crops rotted with ergot
Rising prices of meat and cheese led to a limited supply
Enclosure / Inflation - 12% rise in price of livestock / 15% rise in price of grain
Impact of war on economy
Armies were ransacking towns and draining resources leading to inflation and perennial hardship
Why did MPs resent Charles’ religious policy during his 11 years reigning alone
His religious policy, drawn up with William Laud was largely Catholic in appearance, and caused resentment amongst Protestants and Puritans.
When was the New Model Army formed?
1645
What percentage of men left to fight for the army?
20%
What caused women to have radical feminist views?
The growth of Puritan sects in Wingfield, Westhorpe and Stradbroke
What happened to assize courts in the face of war?
They were unable to function properly - it was too dangerous for judges to make the journey, and this resulted in the absence of senior judges, which heightened hysteria - the assize court at Bury St Edmunds was suspended due to conflict.
How did Hopkins and Stearne appear to offer resolution in the face of a disrupted legal system?
They brought with them what appeared to be a legitimate legal knowledge, which led the conviction rate in East Anglia to increase to 42%
What was the result of the decline in authority of the church in the light of war?
A rise in Puritans amongst the clergy, who often replaced those who locals were unhappy with.
What % of those accused were women?
80%, and the 20% of men were often accused because they had some form of association with a suspected woman.
How did female involvement with dairy farming impact their accusation?
Dairy farming and other forms of agriculture with which women were involved, were prone to failure, leaving them vulnerable to accusation.
What is suggestive that the majority were accused in the lower ranks of society?
In Ely, 94% of those suspected left their ‘mark’, which is suggestive of incredibly high illiteracy rates = lower echelons
When and where did Hopkins’ initial ‘realisation’ of witchcraft occur?
1644, in Maningtree
Why was Elizabeth Clark accused and what was discovered on her?
She had one leg, and had been a social outcast, long suspected of witchcraft. A third ‘teat’ was discovered on her body, said to be evidence of a Devil’s mark.
Which familiars supposedly appeared during Elizabeth Clark’s ‘watching’ for several nights.
A rabbit named Sack & Sugar, and a dog-like creature named Jarmara
