Accused: British Witches throughout History
The true stories of eleven notorious women, across five centuries, who were feared, victimized, and condemned for witchcraft in the British Isles.
 
Beginning with the late Middle Ages—from Ireland to Hampshire—hundreds of women were accused of spellcasting, wicked seduction, murder, and consorting with the devil. Most were fated for the gallows or the stake. What did it mean for these prisoners to stand accused? What were they really guilty of? And by whom were they persecuted?
 
Drawing on a wealth of primary sources including trial documents, church and census records, and the original sensationalist pamphlets describing the crimes, historian Willow Winsham finds the startling answers to these questions. In the process, she resurrects the lives, deaths, and mysteries of eleven women subjected to history’s most notable witch trials. From Irish “sorceress” Alice Kyteler who, in 1324 was the first accused witch on record, to Scottish psychic Helen Duncan who, in 1944, was the last woman imprisoned under Britain’s Witchcraft Act of 1735.
 
Dames, servant girls, aggrieved neighbors, suspect widows, cat ladies, prostitutes, mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters. Accused brings all these victims, and the eras in which they lived and died, back to life in “an incredibly well researched . . . stunning and admirable piece of work, highly recommended” (Terry Tyler, author of the Project Renova series).
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Accused: British Witches throughout History
The true stories of eleven notorious women, across five centuries, who were feared, victimized, and condemned for witchcraft in the British Isles.
 
Beginning with the late Middle Ages—from Ireland to Hampshire—hundreds of women were accused of spellcasting, wicked seduction, murder, and consorting with the devil. Most were fated for the gallows or the stake. What did it mean for these prisoners to stand accused? What were they really guilty of? And by whom were they persecuted?
 
Drawing on a wealth of primary sources including trial documents, church and census records, and the original sensationalist pamphlets describing the crimes, historian Willow Winsham finds the startling answers to these questions. In the process, she resurrects the lives, deaths, and mysteries of eleven women subjected to history’s most notable witch trials. From Irish “sorceress” Alice Kyteler who, in 1324 was the first accused witch on record, to Scottish psychic Helen Duncan who, in 1944, was the last woman imprisoned under Britain’s Witchcraft Act of 1735.
 
Dames, servant girls, aggrieved neighbors, suspect widows, cat ladies, prostitutes, mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters. Accused brings all these victims, and the eras in which they lived and died, back to life in “an incredibly well researched . . . stunning and admirable piece of work, highly recommended” (Terry Tyler, author of the Project Renova series).
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Accused: British Witches throughout History

Accused: British Witches throughout History

by Willow Winsham
Accused: British Witches throughout History

Accused: British Witches throughout History

by Willow Winsham

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Overview

The true stories of eleven notorious women, across five centuries, who were feared, victimized, and condemned for witchcraft in the British Isles.
 
Beginning with the late Middle Ages—from Ireland to Hampshire—hundreds of women were accused of spellcasting, wicked seduction, murder, and consorting with the devil. Most were fated for the gallows or the stake. What did it mean for these prisoners to stand accused? What were they really guilty of? And by whom were they persecuted?
 
Drawing on a wealth of primary sources including trial documents, church and census records, and the original sensationalist pamphlets describing the crimes, historian Willow Winsham finds the startling answers to these questions. In the process, she resurrects the lives, deaths, and mysteries of eleven women subjected to history’s most notable witch trials. From Irish “sorceress” Alice Kyteler who, in 1324 was the first accused witch on record, to Scottish psychic Helen Duncan who, in 1944, was the last woman imprisoned under Britain’s Witchcraft Act of 1735.
 
Dames, servant girls, aggrieved neighbors, suspect widows, cat ladies, prostitutes, mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters. Accused brings all these victims, and the eras in which they lived and died, back to life in “an incredibly well researched . . . stunning and admirable piece of work, highly recommended” (Terry Tyler, author of the Project Renova series).

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781473850040
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date: 02/20/2019
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 198
Sales rank: 440,803
File size: 15 MB
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About the Author

Willow Winsham brings readers regular tales of witches and witchcraft at her blog, The Witch, the Weird and the Wonderful. Combining a passion for research and history with a love of storytelling, she dedicates her time to investigating some of the most intriguing stories from the history of the British Isles. When she isn't digging out tantalising historical titbits or tracing elusive family members, she is busy writing historical fiction and home educating her two children.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi

List of Illustrations viii

Introduction: The World of the Accused xi

Chapter 1 The Irish Sorceress: Alice Kyteler (1324) 1

Chapter 2 Satan's Mistress: Agnes Waterhouse (1566) 12

Chapter 3 Charms and Witches: Gwen ferch Ellis (1594) 22

Chapter 4 To Swim a Witch: Mary Sutton (1612) 35

Chapter 5 A Servant's Revenge: Joan Flower (1619) 46

Chapter 6 The Ipswich Witch: Mary Lakeland (1645) 58

Chapter 7 A Woman of Ill-Repute: Anne Wagg (1650) 70

Chapter 8 Madness or Magic: Isobel Gowdie (1662) 80

Chapter 9 A Witch and a Bitch: Jane Wenham (1712) 91

Chapter 10 A Victorian Witch: Susannah Sellick (1852-1860) 108

Chapter 11 The Conspiracy of the Last Witch: Helen Duncan (1944) 119

Afterword 133

Select Bibliography 135

Notes 140

Index 169

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