history in a nutshell
across the world and throughout history
people have believed in magic
and special powers those who have these
powers
might be able to heal the sick with
herbs bring good luck
tell fortunes or encourage plentiful
harvests
but others are said to be evil seeking
to harm people with curses
or terrible storms written records of
witches stretch as far back as ancient
greece and rome
but it was in early modern europe that
the idea of a witch as an
evil old woman became common among
christians
people at this time were in something of
a witchcraft
they believed they lived in a world of
invisible spirits
such as demons angels and saints as well
as magical objects and materials
the most powerful people in society were
very concerned with witches
king james the first even wrote a book
all about them
women and sometimes men were accused of
being witches
they were thought to use their magical
powers for harm
and were said to have made a pact with
the devil
witches in england were often thought to
have familiars
small animals that accompanied them
everywhere the witch
looked after the familiar and in return
it would help them with their magic
familiars were often depicted as black
cats but could also be rats
dogs ferrets birds frogs
or rabbits if someone was accused of
being a witch
they might be subjected to a swimming
trial
they were stripped of their clothes had
their thumbs tied to their toes
and were thrown into a river or a lake
if they sank they were declared innocent
and usually rescued
if they floated they were judged to be a
witch
witchcraft was made an official crime in
england in 1542
most of the people arrested were poor
elderly women
in 1566 agnes waterhouse became the
first person in england to be executed
for witchcraft
after she was accused of being a witch
by her sister elizabeth
it is thought that around 500 people in
england were executed for witchcraft
records exist for about 12 500
executions across europe although the
true death toll
is likely to be far higher in england
people found guilty of witchcraft were
hanged
in scotland they were tied to a wooden
pole and burned
grim despite all these deaths
people still worried about witches some
engraved or burnt letters and shapes
into wooden beams and doorways
to protect themselves against fire and
witchcraft
they used special objects too today
people repairing old houses
often find strange things hidden inside
chimneys or under doorways
these include witch bottles filled with
things like metal nails
thorns urine human hair and nail
clippings
people also hid shoes clothes knives and
animal hearts stuck with pins
which were thought to stop witches and
other spirits from entering the house
so why were people so afraid of witches
well
at the time when most witch trials in
england took place the country was rife
with war
sickness plague and conflict about
religious beliefs
the weather also became much colder at
this time in a period
known as the little ice age harvests
often failed
and people were hungry they needed
someone to blame and so turned against
their elderly neighbors
eventually changing attitudes meant that
people stopped accusing others of being
witches
and the law against witchcraft was
changed in 1736
but the image of an old witchy woman
with her broomstick
black cat pointy hat and cackling laugh
has endured