Case study: witchcraft and the law c1500-c1700
What did people believe about witches c1500-c1700?
Witches were believed to have made a pact with the devil which gave them special powers like the ability to make people get sick and die.
They were believed to be identifiable by their ‘familiar’ – the devil in the shape of an animal such as a cat or a dog.
In the 1542 Witchcraft Act Henry VIII changed the law so that witchcraft was now a capital offence.
By the end of this period, attitudes to witchcraft were starting to change, and they were seen more likely to be foolish, or tricksters, rather than dangerous. In the 1735 Witchcraft Act, they were punished with fines and imprisonment rather than death.
Why did the belief in and punishment of witchcraft become more widespread in this period?
There were significant economic problems, such as falling wages and rising unemployment. This increased tensions in small communities. It also led to more widespread fear of vagabonds (poor, homeless people).
As Protestant ideas became more popular, people increasingly feared the ‘old’ religion, Catholicism – leading them to attempt to ‘cleanse´ society by seeking out witches.
James I was an enthusiastic witch hunter and wrote a book called Demonologie, published in 1597. This book called on people to find witches out.
When James became King of England in 1603, he published a new edition of Demonologie, describing how witches had tried to drown him and his wife during a sea voyage.
After the Gunpowder Plot, James became increasingly concerned about conspiracies against him, including by witches.
The English Civil Wars began in 1642 and led to massive upheaval. The chaos of the war years created a climate of fear where people were more attracted to superstitious ideas.
The position of women in society helps explain why ninety percent of accusations were made against females. Many of these were ‘wise women’, who were believed to have healing powers. Many were widowed or had never married. Most of them had not met the expectations of being married and obedient to their husbands.
The role of Matthew Hopkins, Witchfinder General
Matthew Hopkins was a former Essex lawyer who called himself ‘witchfinder general’. In 1645 he was employed by a JP in Essex and East Anglia to uncover witchery.
Hopkins used a range of interrogation methods to get the accused to confess, including starving them and depriving them of sleep.
The accused would by physically examined to look for a ‘teat’ with which they would feed their ‘familiar’ – eg a mole or birthmark.
When the victims were forced into a confession, it would have to include the names of other witches, which ensured Hopkins always had another suspected witch to arrest next.
The actions of Hopkins and his assistant John Stearne led to an estimated 300 investigations for witchcraft; around 112 of those were executed by hanging.
Punishments for witchcraft
Around 1000 people were executed for witchcraft between 1542 and 1736. The most common type of execution was hanging.
Why did accusations of witchcraft decline in the second half of the 17th century?
Hopkins’ influence ended when he died of tuberculosis in 1647
Enlightenment ideas were becoming more common. These demanded a more scientific approach in life. The Royal Society was established in London in 1660 and brought together scientists from a wide range of fields.
Enlightenment ideas meant that people based their ideas on modern scientific methods, rather than faith and tradition, and that higher standards of evidence were expected in courts.
However, in some rural communities the belief in witchcraft persisted. The last recorded execution for witchcraft in England was in 1716.