#WITCHES BROOMSTICK ORIGIN TRIAL#

Women were more likely to be accused because of the church’s teaching that women were the weaker sex, seen as more vulnerable to the seductive powers of the Devil. However, an image of a witch taken from the seventeenth century shows some aspects of this witchcraft stereotype have been around for a long time. In this resource there are several examples of modern images of witches who were women, often riding on broomsticks with a pointy hat: the image that we most associate with witchcraft today. Witchcraft was particularly associated with women in the early modern period, and this continued into the modern era.

#WITCHES BROOMSTICK ORIGIN TRIAL#

There were also waves of accusations as groups of people were rounded up and put on trial together such as the Lancaster witches: a group of women who were tried together 20 years after the famous Pendle witch trials. For example, Joan Guppie, whose neighbours believed her to be a witch and who took it upon themselves to try to punish her. In this resource there are lots of examples of ordinary people being accused of witchcraft by their neighbours. General fears of witchcraft within society could also feed into specific accusations that originated within local community so that somebody disliked by their neighbours might be more vulnerable to being accused. In times of uncertainty and upheaval witchcraft accusations would increase, and so there were often more witchcraft accusations during times of war and famine. Witchcraft remained within the popular imagination into the early modern period, and after the Reformation it was still perceived to be a threat to the church and a well-ordered society. The fear of witches, witchcraft, and bewitchment originated in the medieval period when the Roman Catholic Church taught the dangers of witchcraft and printed texts, such as Malleus Maleficarum, illustrated the horrors of witchcraft. What sorts of people were accused of witchcraft? Why? How genuine were people’s suspicions? And what evidence was required for somebody to be executed? This resource helps to highlight some of the reasons why people were accused of witchcraft, who they were, and what happened to them as a result. From a modern perspective, the so-called ‘witch crazes’ can be difficult to understand. In early modern society there was a genuine fear of witchcraft and those suspected of consorting with the Devil could be put on trial and executed, occasionally in large numbers.

The witch craze of the 16th and 17th Centuries The witch craze in Britain Europe and North America, 1580-1750 The lines in the transcripts are numbered to help users find their place when using to the original document. Transcripts have been modernised in terms of spelling, with some additional punctuation added, some words have been defined within the text using square brackets. Please note that some sources contain sensitive material so use with care. Nider’s Formicarius) and what ultimately prompted decriminalisation.įinally teachers could also use the collection to develop their own resources or encourage students to ‘curate’ their own ‘exhibition’ of the most significant sources on the topic. Taking it further students could be encouraged to find out more about the legacy of medieval and 15 th century attitudes, beliefs and reactions to heresy, demonology and witches (e.g. They might consider how these aspects have been interpreted in debates between historians and social scientists. It is hoped that these documents will offer students a chance to develop their powers of evaluation and analysis concerning aspects of popular culture and the witch craze in the 17th century and beyond. How was the church involved? What type of people experienced persecution? Were some people pretending to be witches and why? Were both men and women involved? What was the possible impact of printed material on the witch craze? What general conclusions can students draw from considering this group of documents as a whole? How could study of the topic be extended? Through the documents students could explore questions such as how the persecution of witches was instigated, encouraged or enabled by the authorities or communities. It allows students and teachers to develop their own questions and lines of historical enquiry on the nature of beliefs and behaviours, the role of the authorities and legal restraint, attitudes of communities or the role of women in society. This document collection includes various documents relating to the witch craze in 17th century England.

Witches broomstick origin