Fabulous Folklore: Yorkshire Witchcraft

York was a Viking capital in the 10th century, known as Jórvík. The first castle to be built in York was built in 1068 following the Norman conquest. It was destroyed by rebels and a Viking army in 1069 and was rebuilt - a fortified complex of castles, prisons, churches, law courts and other buildings. The medieval keep (pictured) is known as Clifford’s Tower. York Castle fell into disrepair in the 15th and 16th centuries, but much of the infrastructure still remains and you can walk around the city’s walls today.

Belief in Witchcraft was widespread in medieval Yorkshire, and feelings were mixed. Some were happy to seek help and healing from cunning folk, but others saw these types of people as evil wrongdoers. Later on in the 19th century, Witch Crosses were a popular type of protective magick used in the countryside. They were hung on the outside of barns and buildings to protect the people and animals inside.

Many local women were accused of being witches. Jennet Preston, one of the Pendle (Lancashire) Witches of 1612, was tried at York. It is thought that the outbreaks of “Witchcraft” in the Pendle area suggests that quite a few people were making a living as traditional healers, and that the two families involved ~ that went on to make accusations against each other ~ might have been in competition.

Mary Bateman was a spiritualist, petty thief and later murderer who was named The Yorkshire Witch. She gained this moniker through her claims she had supernatural powers. Born in North Yorkshire she became a con artist after being sacked from her employment for stealing. She told people they had become cursed or placed under harmful spells, prescribing them with charms and feeding one couple puddings in exchange for money. Unfortunately the puddings were laced with poison, but as only the wife ate the pudding and died, the husband reported her to the police. She was tried and executed in York.

In the 17th century, a man named Edward Fairfax believed that six women had bewitched his daughters. They were also tried at York Assizes but were thankfully cleared.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Witches of Warboys

Review: The Bewitching by Jill Dawson

The Bewitching ~ A book by Jill Dawson

A huge thanks to Louise at Hodder Books (@hodderbooks) who sent me this a couple of months ago. The Bewitching is a story drawing on the 16th century case of the Witches of Warboys and is written by Jill Dawson (@jilldawsonauthor).

At first glance I thought my mum had sent me this book because she lives in Warboys, so you can imagine my delight at receiving this! Warboys is a village in the Cambridgeshire fens, and the story of the Witches of Warboys is very much kept alive there. Images of witches can be found all around the village on cars, homes and businesses.

I was especially excited to read this as reviews describe it as “fascinating” “atmospheric” and “gripping,” and it has been a long time since I’ve read fiction or historical fiction.

The book doesn’t disappoint, and “atmospheric” and “gripping” sum it up perfectly. Only a few pages in you’re transported to 16th century England, and you don’t want to leave. I learned so many things reading this book; as you travel the journey of the story you gain insight into the social history of the time. You’re rooting for all the characters in the book, and you’re reading it from the 21st century, so you understand why things play out the way they do. This book triggers the imagination, and I guess I particularly loved this book because I spend time in Warboys, so I felt even closer to the story. I didn’t want to put it down, and I was so sad when I had finished it!

I loved it so much I’m going to check out Jill Dawson’s other books, and make more time to lose myself in fictional books, rather than always reading reference books on Witchcraft.

Have you read this book? What did you think? Did you enjoy it?

NEXT - Review: The Sacred Cycles Journal by Jill Pyle
NEXT - Personal Magick: Home Is Where The Heart Is? 

Identifying Witches in the 1600s

In the 1600s, identifying witches was seen as vital work. Europe was considered to be under satanic threat, and so various “witchfinders” were employed to root out the individuals who threatened the souls of every day people.

Witchfinders would operate in two ways; either in an official capacity, or in an unofficial capacity, with neighbours and community members stepping up to expose the evil they feared.

Whilst there were lots of tests to help identify a witch (coming in another post), there were certain factors that would make it more likely that someone would be accused of being a witch:

• Widowed 
• Very old
• Living with a cat or other pet 
• Being new to a community 
• Not attending church, or going rarely 
• In a property dispute 
• Having an “odd” appearance, or physical/facial deformities 
• Going out after dark
• Having immoral, promiscuous or questionable behaviour 
• Being outspoken or talking too much 
• Talking to oneself
• Being strong willed or quarrelsome 
• History of uttering curses against others

When a person was accused of Witchcraft, witnesses were called, an examination of the accused was carried out, and sometimes a confession would be gleaned - sometimes via torture. Whilst women were the “weaker sex” and therefore more prone to being manipulated by the Devil, lots of men were accused at this time. In some countries, men were in a slight majority, and most accusers of witches in England were actually women.

It’s important to note that even at this time of intense fear not all accusations were believed, and many cases fell through. Most judges and jury men were sceptical about the existence of magic, and people were often suspicious of people claiming to be victims of Witchcraft.

Fabulous Folklore: Werewolves, Werewolfery & The Werewolf Witch Trials

The word werewolf comes from the Old English word werwulf, a compound of wer "man" and wulf "wolf". The werewolf, or lycanthrope, is a human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf (or wolf-like creature) after being placed under a curse, or attacked by another werewolf.

The belief in werewolves is said to have developed parallel to the belief in witches around the Late Middle Ages, and was widespread throughout much of Europe.

The hunt for ~ and persecution of ~ werewolves is integral to the witch hunt phenomenon. Accusations of lycanthropy were unusual, but did appear during witchcraft trials. Werewolf trials started in Switzerland, and spread to Germany, France, Austria and the Balkans. Between 1527 and 1725, there were at least 18 trials that involved people being accused of lycanthropy as a part of their alleged witchcraft. Some trials did not involve witchcraft, and instead were focused on general wolf-related crimes; for example wolf riding or wolf charming.

The first werewolf trial happened in 1521 but was not related to witchcraft. It was the trial of two serial killers who having been tortured by the Church confessed to being werewolves. In 1692, a man named Thiess claimed to be a “good” werewolf. He openly admitted ~ without torture ~ to being a werewolf, and said they were the Hounds of God who helped combat witches and demons.

It is believed that many of the accused were actually suffering from a rare mental illness called “clinical lycanthropy”, in which the sufferer believes they are able to turn into a feral animal.

During the time witch and werewolf trials took place, things were pretty shaky (the Protestant Reformation was sweeping through the land) and the Church used the interrogations of “witches” and “werewolves” to bolster their power and influence.

Image is a photo of a piece of art found at The Museum of Witchcraft & Magic, Boscastle. 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Witch Balls

Personal Magick: What My Craft Means To Me

I was asked yesterday what my craft means to me. Quite simply, it is who I am, the way I live, and how I express myself. It is not lost on me how lucky I am to be living in a time where I can be myself.

The Great Scottish Witch Hunt of 1597 saw 400 people on trial; about 200 were executed. There were to be more Scottish witch hunts during 1628-1631, 1649-1650, and 1661-1662.

Between 1644 and 1646 English ‘witch finder’ Matthew Hopkins was responsible for the execution of 300 alleged witches. The Salem Witch Trials (starting 1st March 1692) saw more than 200 men and women accused. Nineteen were hanged, one pressed to death, and at least four more died in the unbearable conditions of the jail, before being thrown into shallow graves.

I leave the names of the Salem Witch Trial victims here, and ask you to spare a thought for these poor people:

Bridget Bishop - Rebecca Nurse - Sarah Good - Susannah Martin - Elizabeth Howe - Sarah Wildes - George Burroughs - Martha Carrier - John Willard - George Jacobs Snr. - John Proctor - Martha Corey - Mary Eastey - Ann Pudeator - Alice Parker - Mary Parker - Wilmott Red - Margaret Scott - Samuel Wardwell - Giles Corey - Lydia Dustin - Ann Foster - Sarah Osborne - Roger Toothaker.

NEXT - Personal Magick: Stone