Spiritualist medium Helen Duncan is most frequently remembered for being the last person convicted and imprisoned under the 1736 Witchcraft Act in 1944. Revered by some as the most talented physical medium in history and reviled by others as a monumental fraud, Helen did not work alone. Like many mediums, she believed fully in the support …
The Man Behind the Medium: Helen Duncan and Albert Stewart Read More »
“Don’t believe everything you read,” is sound advice for the historian or casual reader alike. It was particularly appropriate when, during my recent research into Mary Lakeland, burnt at Ipswich in 1645 for the crime of murdering her husband through witchcraft, I came across a book that seemed to offer some intriguing answers to the …
Richard Deacon and the Tendring Witchcraft Revelations Read More »
Victoria Helen Duncan nee MacFarlane The medium Helen Duncan is best known as the last woman to be successfully convicted under the Witchcraft Act of 1735. Imprisoned for nine months in 1944 after a police raid on a Portsmouth séance, her case attracted great media attention, and was instrumental in the eventual abolishment of the …
The Medium and The Doctor: What Really Happened to Doctor Todd? 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 …
“Witches – so that’s the 17th century?” It is a natural assumption; after all, the trials and persecutions of that period are large in popular consciousness when it comes to witchcraft. Today’s delve into the library, however, highlights the timeless nature of the witch. We visit the quiet Warwickshire village of Lower Quinton, where the readiness …
Death by Witchcraft? Charles Walton and the Witchcraft Murder Read More »
