ENGLISH WITCH TRIALS :
Historical
Background
English Reformation 1534 -
Anglican Catholic Church
Henry VIII breaks with Rome,
rejects Papacy
Elizabeth I Tudor (1558-1603)
James I Stuart (1603-25) formerly
James VI of Scotland
English Civil War (1640-1660)
I. Contrast with continental witch trials
"old crime"--maleficium
as specific harm
not "new
crime" of diabolism
results in small scale, individual trials
absence of inquisitorial procedure and no torture
accusatory procedure in Anglo Saxon common law
crime of withcraft
defined as criminal offense,
not as
heresy (as on continent)
result:
penalty is hanging, not burning
II. English Witchcraft legislation
(see xerox packet, or link on web page to statutes)
Three statutes :
1542: maleficium
& sorcery defined as felonies
(felony = capital crimes)
1563: death by maleficium =
felony
lesser
maleficial injuries = pillory
1604: prohibits "feeding or entertaining evil spirits"
types of evidence used in absence of
torture
i.
search for witches' mark ("pricking" a witch)
ii.
familiars: animals fed by witches' teat (tit)
III. Chronology 1559-1736
(executions approx. = 500)
1603-1625, peak under James I - Scottish
influence
1645-1647 campaign of Matthew
Hopkins:
"Witchfinder General" -- self appointed, for hire
by towns
active
during English Civil War (1640-1660)
responsible for approximately 200 executions
1685 - Last execution
for witchcraft in England
Readings on England:
Christina Larner, "Witch beliefs & witch hunting in England and Scotland"
Confessions of the Chelmsford witches, Kors & Peters, #46, pp. 302-308
Brian Levack, Chap. 7, "The British Isles, " pp. 200-206
Note that here"Britain"
and British refers to England & Scotland together.