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
For centuries witch-hunts raged through Europe and the Americas. Causing the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people. To this day, the most infamous hunt of all ravaged a small religious community in colonial Massachusetts. The horrors begin when children in a minister’s house have violent fits, an affliction that seems to be caused by the devil. Witches: Truth Behind the Trials, National Geographic 2024
March, 1692: The accused are dragged in front of magistrates. A confession is needed before they are sent to trial. ibid.
‘All these factors are feeding into the division in Salem and perpetuating this mood of suspicion, potentially of hostility, to one’s neighbours.’ ibid. comment
As the court assembles in Salem Town, the accused witches are lead from jail desperately hoping they will find mercy. ibid.
‘The bodies aren’t even buried properly; they’re thrown into a nearby crevice in a rock.’ ibid. comment
‘19 were hanged; others died in prison.’ ibid.
The witch-hunt spread across New England. ibid.
Governor Phipps dismantles the courts responsible for the brutal witch trials. ibid.
Halloween, 1590 Scotland: In a matter of months these suspected witches will have to fight for their lives in Scotland’s first-ever witch trial presided over by the King himself. Witches: Truth Behind the Trials II: Scotland: The King & the Witches
To stop the agony, they confess to attending the Witches’ Sabbath … [and] used diabolical magic to harm the King of Scotland, James VI. ibid.
Denmark: ‘A process of passing the buck until we get down to the people who are least able to defend themselves.’ ibid. comment
‘Now we have this great Satanic conspiracy that James sees as a really genuine threat to himself and to the whole nation.’ ibid.
July 17th 1645, Chelmsford, Essex: There are 50 counts of witchcraft that are going to be heard. Witches: Truth Behind the Trials III: England: The Witchfinder’s Cruel Crusade, comment
Elizabeth says that not only is she a witch but some of her neighbours are witches are well. ibid.
14 women are taken up the gallows, led up the ladder and choked before this great jeering excited crowd. ibid.
Hopkins and Stearne travel father into Essex with plans to hunt evil witches they believe are terrorising the country. ibid.
We have reports that there are many as 150 witches are in the jail, and witnesses coming forward with all these bizarre stories. ibid.
Random and monumentally silly efforts to provde actual forensic evidence for the witch trials. ibid.
As the 13th and 14th centuries past, perceptions shift and the world becomes dangerous for anyone identified as a witch. Witches: Truth Behind the Trials IV: Germany
‘The surge to accuse is driven by ordinary people who really do believe that the suspects have ruined their lives.’ ibid. Professor Hutton
With witches now a serious threat to the Christian world panic sweeps into the Germany land where one of the first ever mass witch trial begins. Hundreds of innocent people will be executed. ibid.
Witch-hunting committees continued to spring up in villages across the region. ibid.
Sweden, the mid-1600s: A simple argument between two children sparks a horrific series of witch trial known as the Great Noise. Witches: Truth Behind the Trials V: Sweden
The argument about herding goats causes the greatest witch panic in northern Europe. ibid.
1668 to 1676: 300 people were executed. ibid.
‘Sweden was where it broke out after the big witch hunts were over in central Europe.’ ibid. Professor Hutton
1711, Islandmagee: ‘It’s now Mary Dunbar who is the apparent centre of the demonic attacks’ Witches: Truth Behind the Trials VI: Ireland, Professor Hutton
Janet Carson is the first person accused of witchcraft in Islandmagee. But she won’t be the last. ibid.