Witchcraft

Background• In the Middle Ages, people had been tried for

witchcraft in church courts, which had tended to give relatively light sentences.

• This was because ordinary people , who were too poor to afford the services of doctors, relied on local ‘wise women’. These women, using a combination of herbal treatments and magic charms, tried to cure illnesses of both humans and animals.

• Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, many superstitions survived and new laws were passed making witchcraft a serious crime.

• Henry VIII made it a capital crime in 1542.

What made

witchcraft a

serious crime?

Social changes: many families broke up to find work. Some old women

were left on their own so many turned to magic as a way to improve their

luck.

Civil war: tension in

the communiti

es was heightened

by civil wars.

Religion: after Henry VIII broke away from Rome,

witchcraft was seen as an offence against the state rather than the church

Economic hardship:

increase in beggars due to financial issues in the country

led to bad feelings amongst

neighbors'. Crop failures and

other bad luck was also

blamed on witches.

Why women?

Christianity had always portrayed women as morally weaker than men (Adam and Eve)

According to some historians many men either feared or even hated women

The puritans (a Christian sect) tended to see women as a temptress (untrustworthy)

How were the women convicted?

Unusual marks on a woman's body (e.g. birth marks etc)

Needle test: Used to locate the devils mark on a witches body. It is believed that wherever the devil touched a person that area would be insensitive to pain -The use of ‘possessed’ children who acted as accusers -Neighbours could provide evidence, e.g. if heard making a pact with the devil.

Were witchcraft trials fair?• Some aspects were like a normal trial.• The accusers would present their charge and bring witnesses to

support it.• The accused would be asked to defend themselves – but 90% of

those accused were women and most were elderly widows or spinsters who had no man to speak for them or defend them.

• Other aspects were nothing like a normal trial – e.g. ‘swimming’ – was a throw-back to trial by ordeal.

• Many of the accused were found not guilty and only a small proportion of the accused were executed.

• Witches were usually only hanged if the court believed they had used their powers to kill someone, or to harm animals or damage property.

• It was not being a witch that was considered the main crime – it was using supernatural power to harm others.

IssuesIssue Possible explanationWhy were accusations typically made by wealthier people against poorer people?

The accusations were a sign of increased inequality in the village. There was tension between the poor and those who were a little richer than them: the poor asked for help more often; the wealthy felt threatened by the demands of the poor. Remember that at this time the rich were also clamping down on the poor in the laws against vagabonds.

Why were most of the accused old women?

This was a sign of social upheaval in village life. The old ties that bound people together as communities or as families were being loosened. Old women would once have been cared for and even respected as wise women. Now they were seen as threatening because they were different. It is one more example of the way that vulnerable or NON-CONFORMIST members of society are sometimes scapegoat as criminals.

Why did accusations tail off in the seventeenth century?

This was a time of increasingly rational thinking. Belief in witches didn’t disappear, but educated people (who usually had to judge accusations of witchcraft) were less likely to believe charges of witchcraft than in earlier periods. Another reason was that people were becoming increasingly prosperous. This reduced the tensions in villages. The rich helped the poor more and there were probably fewer requests for help.

Why did witchcraft

trials decline?

There was a huge increase in scientific discoveries. Things

that were blamed on the devil could now

be explained by science.

Economic problems began to slow down. This reduced tensions in

people so they became less jealous and

suspicious of their

neighbours.

Although many people

still believed in witches a growing

number were taking a more rational view.

Matthew Hopkins- Witchfinder general

Watch the video

Accusations data

Why did society undergo a witchcraft craze? Use the two sources and your

knowledge.(6 marks)

• You need to focus on the influence of society’s attitudes regarding witchcraft.