Witchy London

Between 1542 and 1736, approximately 1,000 people were executed for witchcraft in England, 90% of whom were marginalised or unpopular women such as widows, single women, and the elderly. The witch trials still serve as a reminder of the dangers of superstition and intolerance, and of the importance of protecting individual rights and liberties for all.

 

Roman Curses

Museum of London- Roman Curses

Known for being very superstitious, Romans would write curses on small scraps of lead, throwing them into the Thames or nailing them to a wall to publicly shame those who had in their view committed a crime against them.

 

The Witchcraft Act of 1541

This act allowed for the death penalty to be used for anyone found guilty of using which craft, charm, or sorcery.

 

Tyburn

In what is now Hyde Park, a memorial marks where the Tyburn gallows once stood. It was here than many accused witched were hung including Anne Kirk and Elizabeth Sawer.

 

The Witch Queen of Kentish Town

Historians have debated whether Jinney Bingham was an actual person or an amalgamation of several people, but the story goes that that her parents were both witches, found guilty of which craft and hung. Jinney herself was a healer and fortune teller who had several husbands that died mysteriously. She was accused of witchcraft but was not found guilty due to lack of evidence. She and her black cat died from poisoning.

 

All Hallows by the Tower

Elizabeth Sawer was accused of being a witch who had pledged her allegiance to Satan. She was found to have a witch’s mark on her body and was sentenced to a year in prison and four appearances at the pillory located just outside of All Hollows by the Tower. She was hung at Tyburn in 1621.

 

Sarah Mordike

In 1702 Sarah Mordike was accused of bewitching a neighbour after having a falling out with him. She was tried and acquitted after it was found that her neighbour had faked all the symptoms supposed to have been caused by witchcraft. He was imprisoned for this fraud.

 

Globe Theatre

Witches were a common theme in many plays of the time. When Macbeth was first on stage in 1606 witches were thought to be real and The Weird Sisters a trio of witches in the play would have been assumed to be truly evil.

 

Jane Kent

Accusation of witchcraft often happened after a falling out with a friend or neighbour. In 1682 Jane Kent was one such accused after she was refused to buy two pigs on credit. Her accuser claimed she bewitched the pigs, his daughter, and wife. Jane was able to prove she was not in league with the devil and was acquitted.

 

Matthew Hopkins

Self-proclaimed Witchfinder General, Hopkins was an English witch hunter in East Anglia. Over 100 of the witches he ‘found’ were hung. The majority were old, poor, and widowed.

 

Joan Peterson

Herbalist Joan Peterson was said to be able to turn into a black cat and speak to animals. She was accused of using her magic to kill an older woman, Lady Powell. A crime for which she was sentenced to death after refusing to accuse her supposed accomplice in the act of which craft.

 

Nicholas Culpeper

A herbalist and physician, Culpeper owned a pharmacy (it stood at 92 Commercial Street) and was a devoted healer. He was accused of bewitching a widow in 1643 after his treatment didn’t cure her ailments. He was acquitted. His knowledge of herbs led him to write Culpeper’s Herbal (1652) which is still in print today.