Mathew Hopkins and the east Anglian witch hunt, Causes

How many people were Hopkins and Stearne responsible for executing

400 people

How much could be charged by witchfinders for a couple days work

£23, an enormous amount for the time

What was on the front of Hopkins’ book ‘the discovery of witches’

a line from Exodus, thou shalt not suffer a witch to live

How religious was Hopkins before the witch craze

father was a puritan minister but no evidence of prior fanaticism

What even was tearing the country apart during the witch craze

the English civil war

What political group was East Anglia a part of

the Eastern Association, provided troops for the parliamentarians

What did Parliament create in 1645

assembled the New Model Army

How much fighting was there in East Anglia

there was very little fighting in East Anglia

What % of men may have left the towns and villages to fight

20%

What drove Margery Sparham to engage in supposed witchcraft

she had been left alone and vulnerable when her husband left to fight

What strange stories reached East Anglia in 1645

a woman giving birth to a headless baby, body of a habitual sinner dug up and eaten by dogs, region women drinking and swearing like men.

What happened to the Authority of the gentry

diminished as many left to fight in the civil war or had estates confiscated if they were royalist

which aspect of the legal system failed to function effectively

the assize courts, with justice often meted out by local magistrates

What did the earl of Warwick do

oversaw the Essex assize of 1645, possessing little legal experience

What did Hopkins and Stearne appear to provide in this atmosphere of chaos

legitimate legal knowledge and efficency

what was their conviction rate

42%

Why were the 1640’s so bad for farmers

freezing winters and wet summers leading to crop failure and ergot. (food sparsity)

What happened to food prices

inflated. the price of wheat increased by 20% and seed corn had to be eaten

What did contemporaries think of the weather

a sign from the heavens and a punishment from God. Charles should not be returned to the throne (easy to blame witches)

What was happening to common lad that lead to more inequality and poverty

enclosure to focus on specific products

What did many Puritan’s believe affected social harmony

Idleness

What two actions did Sir Miles Sandys perform that lead to riots

enclosed 4,000 acres of common land and evicted 30 families.

How were the Sandys riots connected to the witch trials

many of the accused witches were involved in the earlier land disputes

How did the war affect the price of livestock and grain

livestock prices increased 12% and grains by 15%

What else increased the cost of living

Parliament devised a new tax to help with war efforts, the weekly assessment

how were wage increases affected

wages did not increase

how did increased costs affect Margaret Moone

Evicted from her cottage and fell into begging