Witchcraft, the Devil, and Emotions in Early Modern England by Charlotte Rose Miller and part of the Routledge Research in Early Modern History series, published in 2017. ISBN 978-1-4724-8549-6 A fresh and significant book on witchcraft accusations in Early Modern England In this book, Charlotte Millar uses 66 surviving pamphlets about witchcraft accusations in Early […]
On the 2nd of June 1634 at the Reading Borough Court William and Edith Walls were accused of making Edward Bonavant ill by witchcraft. This serious accusation was made in a troubled town at a time when witchcraft was believed to be real, and causing harm by witchcraft a capital crime. The local authorities took […]
This book published by Routledge in 2020, is a long overdue re-evaluation of John Stearne. Stearne is often dismissed as Matthew Hopkins assistant during the 1645-7 witch hunt in East Anglia. It is based on Scott Eaton’s PhD research. The first chapter describes the wider context of the east Anglian witch hunt of 1645-7 and […]
It’s been a while since I posted anything here as I’ve been distracted with everything (gestures towards the state of the world and the pandemic). During 2020 I could only read familiar things such as Lord of the Rings but this year, I have managed to read some non-fiction books. Here are some short reviews […]
This essay compares religion in Reading in the middle of the 19th century with nearby southern counties and the rest of England to determine if Reading was typical or not. This essay will show Reading had a higher proportion of the population attending church and a more diverse religious population, and that this was due to local historical factors.
An essay I wrote a few years ago when I was doing the Advanced Diploma in Local History at Oxford. This essay explores how witches and witchcraft were perceived by society and how this changed from the late 17th century through to the 19th century. Society’s belief in and opinion of witchcraft is investigated by […]
There are three entries in the burial register for St. Mary’s Minster Church, Reading for January, 1631 which say the deceased was apprehend for a witch.[1] “Jan 10. Katheren Roose, apprehended for a wich” “Jan 13. Joane Patey, apprehended for a wich”. “Jan 13. Anne Clinch, apprehended for a wich” These three women had been […]
There were some witchcraft accusations before the courts in the later 17th century that I don’t know much about. Joan Harding was imprisoned in Reading accused of witchcraft but was freed on 20th July 1658 because the case against her was considered insufficient. On 22nd February 1662, Christina Wicks was on trial accused of incantation and the care […]
Below are the notes by Sir Francis Windebank on the hearing in the Court of the Star Chamber on 13th November 1635 of the accusation by John Prowting of conspiracy by John, Elizabeth and Anne Waldron of Lambourn in West Berkshire. For a detailed review of this case see A Witchcraft Accusation in 17th Century […]
In 1635 Anne Waldron of Lambourn was ill, and her father John Waldron accused Mary Prowting of causing this illness by witchcraft. The illness was investigated and discovered to be a fraud. In November 1635 John Prowting, husband of Mary, sued John Waldron in the Court of the Star Chamber for conspiracy. This article examines […]
The visible effects of belief 