How far were Mathew Hopkins and John Stearne responsible for the extent of the witch craze

How many witches were accused during the craze

700 (estimate)

Why did Hopkins apparently become interested in Witchcraft

when he was kept awake at night by witches meeting by his house

What political affiliations did Harbottle Grimston have

he was a puritan and resisted most of Charles’ policies during personal rule

What was found on Elizabeth Clark

three teats (a devils mark)

What appeared to visit Elizabeth Clark

after being watched for several days several familiars seemed to appear to her

Who did Clark name as a witch

Rebecca West

Why might people have disliked John Lowes politically

he was a royalist clergyman and openly defended an accused witch

What did Hopkins use to extract a confession

the swimming test and intense interrogations (torture)

Who objected to Hopkins in their community

John Gaule

What surprised Hopkins in the Norfolk assize

subjected to hostile questioning by suspicious officials

How does Louise Jackson interpret the driving force behind the witch trials

organised and deliberate violence, exclusively carried out against women

What area did Hopkins seem especially keen to find evidence of

he was keen to find evidence of sexual activity with the devil and suckling of familiars and imps

What were about 20% of witches accused of

infanticide

what evidence is used to assess the literacy and thus class of victims

the signing of names

What title did Hopkins give himself

Witchfinder general

What four signs of witchcraft did Hopkins focus on

the relationship between witch and devil, any devil’s marks, any imps or familiars, other witches known to the accused

What four techniques did they use to extract confession

isolation, searching, watching/walking and the swimming test

Where had the swimming test been previously justified

Deamonologie by James I

Whose journey did Hopkins and Stearne shadow

William dowsing (iconclast general)