January 1591, Edinburgh: A woman is about to be executed. Her crime? She is a witch. She’s been interrogated and tortured and now she’ll be strangled and burnt at the stake. How did the execution of this woman light the fuse on a century of witchhunts across Britain, and the state-sanctioned killing of thousands more like her? Lucy Worsley Investigates I, BBC 2023
The withhunting craze that swept the country 400 years ago began here just along the coast from Edinburgh in the small seaside town of North Berwick … This was a time when everyone believed in witchcraft. ibid.
James I/VI: What better way to prove that you are a righteous and godly king than to triumph in a face-off with witches. ibid.
A sense that something was going wrong and somebody must be to blame. ibid.
For as long as I can remember I’ve been intrigued by the idea of witches. But for much of history witches and witchcraft have been viewed with fear and suspicion. I’m going on an epic journey to uncover what led to some of the biggest trials in history. Suranne Jones Investigating Witch Trials I, Channel 4 2024
To discover why so many women were accused of witchcraft. And what their history means to us today. ibid.
In 1612, 10 people from the area of Pendle were executed for witchcraft – 8 of them were women. ibid.
Bamburg, Germany: ‘It took the crisis of the Little Ice Age to drive home Kramer’s method that was essentially something’s wrong with the world. What is this secret conspiracy at work? ibid. local professor
‘Pregnant witches were tortured for days.’
Nearly 20,000 people were executed for witchcraft in the German lands. This was made possible by the willingness of the authorities to prosecute. ibid.
‘It’s about rooting out parts of society you don’t like to see.’ ibid.
In 17th century Pendle not conforming could get you killed. ibid.
The site of the most infamous witch trials of all, the American town of Salem … It’s an extraordinary story that has echoed down the centuries. Suranne Jones: Investigating Witch Trials II
They were part of a wave of English Puritans who had travelled to the new world in the 1620s. ibid.
A similar hysteria he [Arthur Miller] saw unfolding in 1950s America with the infamous hunt for communists led by senator Joseph McCarthy. ibid.
It’s very easy to call those women [in politics] a witch. ibid.
‘It makes me wonder whether the idea of a witch will ever go away.’ ibid. expert
A dark chapter in early American history. Accusations fly and many people are put to death … Can modern science finally shed new light? What really happened in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts, and what sparked the Salem Witch Trials. History’s Greatest Mysteries s5e14, History 2024