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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 