As the author notes, ‘The early-modern European witch-hunts were neither orchestrated massacres nor spontaneous pogroms. Alleged witches were not rounded up at night and summarily killed extra-judicially or lynched as the victims of mob justice. They were executed after trial and conviction with full legal process’. In this concise but highly-informed account of the persecution of witches Gregory Durston demonstrates what a largely ordered process was the singling-out or hunting-down of perceived offenders. How a mix of superstition, fear, belief and ready explanations for ailments, misfortune or disasters caused law, politics and religion to indulge in criminalisation and the appearance of justice. Bearing echoes of modern-day ‘othering’ and marginalisation of outsiders he shows how witchcraft became akin to treason (with its special rules), how evidentially speaking storms, sickness or coincidence might be attributed to conjuring, magic, curses and spells. All this reinforced by examples and detailed references to the law and practice through which a desired outcome was achieved. In another resonance with modern times, the author shows how decisions were often diverted into the hands of witch-hunters, witch-finders (including self-appointed Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins), witch-prickers and other experts as well as the quaintly titled ‘cunning-folk’ consulted by prosecutors and ‘victims’. Crimen Exceptum (crimes apart). A straightforward and authoritative guide. Shows the rise and fall of prosecutions. Backed by a wealth of learning and research.
Author(s): Gregory J. Durston
Publisher: Waterside Press
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 243
Tags: Witch Hunting: England: History: 16th Century, Witch Hunting: England: History: 17th Century
Cover......Page 1
Copyright and publication details......Page 4
Table of Contents......Page 5
About the author......Page 9
Acknowledgements......Page 10
Frequently Used Acronyms......Page 11
Preliminary Matters......Page 13
Sources of Information......Page 14
A Legal Phenomenon......Page 16
Criminal Procedure......Page 20
The Medieval Background......Page 21
From Sorcery to Witchcraft......Page 25
Cunning Folk and Benign Magic......Page 28
The Identification of Black Witches......Page 31
From Credulity to Scepticism......Page 36
Counterfeit and Fraud......Page 39
Extent of Witch Persecution......Page 41
The Wider British Isles......Page 46
Meta-Narratives......Page 50
Female Involvement......Page 54
Urban Witches......Page 55
Introduction......Page 57
Gender......Page 61
Familial Connections......Page 64
Previous Allegations......Page 65
Age and Marital Status......Page 66
Character and Social Status......Page 68
Introduction......Page 71
Familiars......Page 75
Alternative Forms of Enchantment......Page 79
Introduction......Page 81
The Dangers of Prosecution......Page 83
Appeasing the Witch......Page 84
Passive Defence......Page 85
Scratching......Page 87
Use of Ecclesiastical Courts......Page 89
Vagabond Actions......Page 91
Introduction......Page 93
The 1542 Act......Page 94
The 1563 Act......Page 97
Elizabethan Prosecutions: A County Profile......Page 102
The 1604 Statute......Page 103
Jacobean Prosecutions: A County Profile......Page 110
Introduction......Page 113
Triggering Event......Page 114
Supporting Allegations......Page 117
Taking Action......Page 118
Justices of the Peace and the Witch-Hunting Process......Page 120
The JPs’ Examination......Page 123
The Role of Confessions......Page 124
Deep Interrogation......Page 128
Growing Caution About Confessions......Page 132
Bail......Page 133
Ancillary Orders......Page 134
Choice of Forum......Page 135
Pre-Trial Detention......Page 137
Introduction......Page 139
Reciting Scripture......Page 140
The Witch’s Teat......Page 141
Pricking and the Witch’s Mark......Page 144
Natural Blemishes......Page 147
Swimming......Page 148
The Grand Jury Hearing......Page 155
Arraignment......Page 157
The Trial......Page 158
The Evidence Adduced at Trial......Page 159
The Witnesses......Page 160
Expert Evidence......Page 163
Conviction and Execution Rates for Witchcraft......Page 166
Post-Conviction Reprieves......Page 167
Pregnancy......Page 170
Execution of Witches......Page 171
Introduction......Page 175
A Turning Point......Page 176
Caroline Prosecutions......Page 178
Introduction......Page 183
Matthew Hopkins and John Stearne......Page 186
Newcastle and Northumberland......Page 190
Kent......Page 192
Late-Interregnum......Page 193
Introduction......Page 195
The Final Fifty Years......Page 199
The 1700s......Page 201
The Pamphlet War......Page 203
Final Prosecution......Page 204
Repeal and the 1736 Act......Page 205
Survival of Popular Witch Beliefs......Page 206
Post-Repeal Incidents......Page 207
Conclusion......Page 211
Select Bibliography......Page 213
Index......Page 231
Fields, Fens and Felonies......Page 240
Whores and Highwaymen......Page 241
A History of Criminal Justice in England and Wales......Page 242
Back cover......Page 243
