Witchcraft: From Fear to Persecution

Magic was not always viewed with suspicion. For thousands of years, and well into the 18th century, it could be seen as a force for good: used for healing, protection and good luck. But magic could also be misunderstood. In close-knit and superstitious communities, fear of witchcraft and dark magic was widespread. When people faced unexplained or unfair misfortune, it was easy to believe that a malevolent force was to blame.

Those known to practise magic could find themselves accused of using dark magic if, for example, a neighbour believed they had been cursed. Such accusations could lead to ostracism, persecution or even execution. People on the margins of their communities were particularly vulnerable, often targeted because of their age, appearance or because they challenged social norms.

Fear of witchcraft was so deeply rooted that protection against witches and dark magic became part of the fabric of everyday life.

Object labels

  1. Witches’ ball, 1721, hung in a window of Merton Grange, Gamlingay. CAMFK: 105.59 

    This ball was hung in a window of a house. It is highly debated among folklorists as to how they became associated with witches. One belief associated with it was that the light it refracted would dazzle witches and prevent them from entering. Another belief was that the ball’s reflective properties and bright colours would mesmerise evil spirits, causing them to touch the ball and become absorbed and trapped within it. However, there isn’t any written evidence of glass balls being used for this purpose from the period that they were purportedly used.
  2. Witches’ bottle charm containing silk and wool, with plant strands worked into the glass. Used as a protective charm against witches. CAMFK:1479.37  

    A witch’s bottle was used as a protective charm against witches and the bad luck and havoc they were believed to bring. These bottles contained a variety of materials, including pins, nail clippings, urine and rosemary. They were buried within the walls, floors and fireplaces of buildings to protect their occupants.
      
  3. Two iron door latches featuring ritual marks. Folklore Society Collection, NN

    Ritual marks such as these can be found across the county on buildings dating from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Often known as ‘witch marks’ they are found around doorways, windows and chimneys, it is believed these marks were intended to protect vulnerable points of a building from evil spirits and witches.

  4. Notes on Cambridgeshire Witchcraft, Catherine E. Parsons, published in 1915 in the Cambridge Antiquarian Society’s Communications, vol. XIX. CAMFK:96.62

  5. A Sermon Against Witchcraft, Preached in the Parish Church of Great Paxton, in the County of Huntingdon, July 17, 1808. Transcript by Herbert Norris (1859–1931). Loan from the Norris Museum, St Ives, Cambs,UMS/PAXTN/42.

    In this sermon, the Reverend Isaac Nicholson of Little Paxton Parish Church aimed to encourage his parishioners to turn away from superstitious beliefs. Recounting the attack on Ann Izzard, a local woman accused of witchcraft, Nicholson highlighted the dangers of accusations and mob violence. Isaac Nicholson was a former student of Queens’ College, Cambridge.

  6. The Mag-Astro-Mancer, or the Magicall-Astrologicall-Diviner Posed, and Puzzled. John Gaule, minister of Great Staughton in the County of Huntingdon. Published in 1652 by Joshua Kirton at the King’s Arms, St Paul’s Churchyard, London. Loan from the Norris Museum, St Ives, Cambs.BP/2177

    John Gaule dedicates this book to his fellow Huntingdonshire resident, Oliver Cromwell. The book condemns the use of magic. Interestingly, the inside cover features illustrations and instructions for cures for warts and toothache dating from the 1760s.
Horizontal timeline entitled Timeline of Witchcraft in Cambridgeshire. Along the timeline text reads: 1542 – King Henry VIII's Witchcraft Act is passed. The first time witchcraft is punishable by death. It is repealed in 1547 by Edward VI. 1562 - Elizabeth I’s Witchcraft Act is passed. Under this Act, those accused of causing death through witchcraft face execution. 1589–1593 – The Witches of Warboys. In 1589, Alice Samuel is accused of bewitching the five Throckmorton sisters. Alice, her husband John and their daughter Agnes are convicted and hanged in 1593. They are also accused of bewitching Lady Cromwell of Hinchingbrooke House to death. 1590 – Henry Holland (1556–1603), a Magdalene College graduate and once Vicar of Orwell, Cambridgeshire, writes A Treatise against Witchcraft, arguing that Satan was involved in all forms of witchcraft. 1604 – A new Witchcraft Act is passed under James I, introducing harsher penalties for certain forms of witchcraft, including the death penalty for causing harm through witchcraft. 1644 – Matthew Hopkins (c. 1620–1647) begins his career as a witch-hunter operating in East Anglia. Calling himself the ‘Witchfinder General’, despite never receiving an official post, Hopkins becomes a prominent figure in the witch-hunts, working alongside John Stearne and others. 1645 – John Stearne (c. 1610–1670) begins to work closely with Matthew Hopkins, becoming part of a witch-hunting team infamous throughout England and responsible for 35-40 accusations and numerous deaths across Cambridgeshire. 1646 – John Gaule (c. 1603–1687), Vicar of Great Staughton, publishes Select Cases of Conscience Touching Witches and Witchcrafts, which considers the moral and theological implications of recent witchcraft cases and criticises the methods used by Hopkins and Stearne. 1647 – Matthew Hopkins publishes a pamphlet entitled The Discovery of Witches, justifying his controversial methods of obtaining confessions. 1647 – Witchcraft accusations in Ely. Thirteen people, five men and eight women, are reportedly charged with witchcraft and imprisoned in Ely. 1648 – John Stearne publishes A Confirmation and Discovery of Witchcraft, describing many cases from Cambridgeshire. 1659 – Two Quakers, William Allen and Mrs Morlin, are accused of witchcraft by Margaret Pryor in Longstanton, likely on account of their religion. The accusations are challenged, and the case highlights the intersection of religious dissent and witchcraft allegations. 1716 – A pamphlet published by W. Matthews of Long Acre, London, reports the supposed execution of Mary Hicks and her daughter Elizabeth for witchcraft in Huntingdon. If true, they would have been among the last people executed for witchcraft in England. 1735 – The Witchcraft Act is once again changed and earlier witchcraft legislation in England is repealed, marking a change in the legal treatment of witchcraft from the prosecution of witchcraft alone to cracking down on fraudulent practice. 1808 – The attack on Ann Izzard. Great Paxton resident and live-in servant Ann Izzard is dragged from her bed, stripped and scratched with pins by neighbours who believe her to be a witch. Ann flees the village, and several members of the mob are prosecuted for their involvement in the assault. 1951 - Witchcraft is fully decriminalized in Britain. The 1735 Witchcraft Act is repealed and replaced with the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951. This act aims to prevent extorsion through fraudulent claims of magic or witchcraft. Below this information on the timeline, a line of text reads: This is a non-exhaustive list of the history of witchcraft in Cambridgeshire; many other names appear in the historical record associated with the practice in Cambridgeshire. Due to the amount of time passed, destroyed records, and historical ambiguity, we will never have a full account of all who lost their life or freedom due to accusations of witchcraft.
Object Images

1. Witches’ ball, 1721, hung in a window of Merton Grange, Gamlingay. CAMFK: 105.59 

Vivid blue reflective glass ball with metallic loop fixture on the top,

2. Witches’ bottle charm containing silk and wool, with plant strands worked into the glass. Used as a protective charm against witches. CAMFK:1479.37  

Long and thin glass bottle laid on a pillow. The bottle has a long, thin neck and tapers in slightly along the body. The glass has a light green hue with darker patches at both ends. The bottle has brown strands within the glass.

3. Two iron door latches featuring ritual marks. Folklore Society Collection, NN

Two black metal door latches both an elongated keyhole shape with a hole in the bulbous end. Both feature a engraved mark at the squared end in the shape of an X with a line above and below. The latch that is displayed above is shorter than the one below.

4. Notes on Cambridgeshire Witchcraft, Catherine E. Parsons, published in 1915 in the Cambridge Antiquarian Society’s Communications, vol. XIX. CAMFK:96.62

Grey/ blue paper booklet with black text reading, "Notes on Cambridgeshire Witchcraft by Catherine E. Parsons" Beneath this, in square brackets text reads "From the Cambridge Antiquarian Society's Communications, Vol. XIX." Finally at the bottom of the cover is the date reading "1915."

5. A Sermon Against Witchcraft, Preached in the Parish Church of Great Paxton, in the County of Huntingdon, July 17, 1808. Transcript by Herbert Norris (1859–1931). Loan from the Norris Museum, St Ives, Cambs, UMS/PAXTN/42

An open book with old, yellowed pages. The left-side page is blank. The right-side page has handwritten text in black calligraphy. The text reads: 'a Sermon against Witchcraft, preached in the parish church of Great Paxton in the county of Huntingdon, July 17, 1808.

6. The Mag-Astro-Mancer, or the Magicall-Astrologicall-Diviner Posed, and Puzzled. John Gaule, minister of Great Staughton in the County of Huntingdon. Published in 1652 by Joshua Kirton at the King’s Arms, St Paul’s Churchyard, London. Loan from the Norris Museum, St Ives, Cambs, BP/2177

Open book with aged, yellowing pages. Text is in a black 16th-Century typeface, The left-side page reads: 'THE MAG-ASTRO-MANCER OR THE Magicall-Astrologicall-Diviner Posed, and Puzzled.' Beneath this, is a chapter list. On the right-side page the page is headed with a black swirling header, the same title is beneath. Below a dividing line is chapter one entitled the 'From the Spirit of the Scriptures'. There is a large, illustrated letter W at the beginning of the paragraph.

See more: