Almost everyone knows the name of Matthew Hopkins; self-styled Witchfinder General, he was responsible for the death of approximately one hundred accused witches in the period 1645-47. The majority of these witches were women, and Mary or Mother Lakeland, the wife of an Ipswich Barber, was one of many who fell foul of the witch …
Although described by William Cobbet as “certainly the most villainous spot that God ever made,” my own memories of Hindhead in Surrey are somewhat fonder. As a young girl I spent a lot of time visiting my maternal grandmother there, wandering across the Common, with my mother sharing the tales she had been told as …
Murder at Hindhead: The Curse of the Sailor’s Stone Read More »
What better way to start Halloween week than with a ghost story? Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales and ill-fated heir to King Henry VII, although not as widely known as his more infamous younger brother, has attracted an intriguing legend of his own. One September day in 1501, Arthur, or so the story goes, was …
Although the passing of the Witchcraft Act did not bring belief in witchcraft to an end overnight, it did mean that those accused and hounded by neighbours could now in turn bring their own grievances before the courts. A fascinating example of this process can be glimpsed in 1867 in the Somerset village of Wedmore, …
Role Reversal: The Complaint of Elizabeth Williams. Read More »
Commonly referred to as The Four Witches, there is very little actually known for certain about this intriguing engraving by fifteenth-century German painter, engraver, print maker, mathemetician and theorist, Albrecht Dürer. With four naked women, a monster of some description in the corner and bones scattered on the floor, however, there are interpretations aplenty of what …
Witches, Graces or Family Secret? Albrecht Durer and The Four Witches Read More »
Today’s story from the Library began on 15th November, 1657 in the small rural Somerset town of Shepton Mallet and ended a few short months later with the execution of local resident Jane Brooks. Elderly and at least at times in need, she and her sister were accused of doing great harm to a young …
The passing of the Witchcraft Act in 1735 did not mean people immediately abandoned their belief in witches, a fact illustrated by a fascinating news article in the Western Gazette on 23rd October, 1874. “A few evenings since, two men, natures of Barrington, accompanied by a dog, were passing through this place towards their home, …
The stereotypical image of a witch with her broomstick is deeply entrenched in the popular consciousness. If you ask anyone, from six to sixty, to name something they associate with a witch, the top answer will likely be a broom. At Halloween especially, on posters, chocolates, looming in shop windows, even walking down the high …
Among many things, I am a collector of quotes. Whether long, short, amusing, or inspiring, if it catches my interest, down it goes. It was with glee therefore that I reached for my pen at the following chilling pronouncement by historian Edwin Trueman in his 1899 History of Ilkeston. After waxing lyrical on the perils faced …
Man’s Best Friend? Curious Quotes and Spectral Dogs Read More »
An interest in everything witchcraft related is a wonderful excuse to explore the vast and varied body of artwork with witchy undertones. A personal favourite is The Crystal Ball, by Pre-Raphaelite painter John William Waterhouse. Finished in 1902, the painting depicts a young woman holding the ever-popular crystal ball. Shown with its sister painting, The …
