Witches in 17th century...?

Question

Who were accused of being witches in the 17th century?

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Any useful websites?
Thanks! ♥

I mean like, what types of people were being accused....

Answer 1

The pendle witches are well known, just search for them on google etc you'll come up with loads....



The Pendle Witches or Lancashire Witches were the most famous witches in English legal history

In the year 1612, at Lancaster gaol, in the English county of Lancashire, ten men and women were hanged for the crime of witchcraft.

The Pendle Witches, as they became known, were believed to have been responsible for the murder by witchcraft of seventeen people in and around the Forest of Pendle.

There were in total thirteen Pendle Witches: Alizon Device, Elizabeth Device, James Device, Anne Whittle, alias Chattox, Anne Redferne, Alice Nutter, Katherine Hewitt, John Bulcock, Jane Bulcock & Isobel Robey were the ten hanged at Lancaster gaol.

Elizabeth Southerns, alias Demdike, died in Lancaster Gaol awaiting trial, but was nevertheless considered to be a witch on the basis of evidence already given. Jennet Preston, who lived just over the Lancashire border, was tried in Yorkshire and hanged at York in 1612. Finally, Magaret Pearson was found guilty of witchcraft at Lancaster, but not murder, and received a sentance of one years imprisonment.

The Pendle Witches were accused of selling their souls to familiar spirits or devils who appeared to them in human and animal form. In return for their souls, it was believed that the witches received the power to kill or lame who they pleased.

The usual method of murder, descirbed in Demdike's confession, was to make an ethigy of the intented victim, known as a 'picture of clay'. The image was then crumbled or burned over a period of time, causing the victim to fall ill and die.

The family at the centre of the witchcraft allegations: Alizon Device, James Device, Elizabeth Device and Demdike lived at a place called Malkin Tower. Demdike, who was in here eighties, was the head of the family and was rumored locally to be a very powerful witch.

An important meeting took place at Malkin Tower on Good Friday in 1612. The meeting, believed to have been a witches sabbat, was described to the authorities by James Device. Many of those who attended where later hanged.

Demdike had once been a close friend of another reputed witch Chattox, but they fell out and then feuded bitterly. The dispute between Demdike and Chattox was probably a reason why they and their respective families were willing to make incriminating statements against one another.

When Demdike died in gaol, Chattox changed here story, claiming Demdike was responsible for inticing here into witchcraft.

Answer 2

Plenty of people where accused or termed witches, however there was the proof problem in front of magistrates. Most of England did not persecute Witches, but those that did recieved a lot of coverage in the local area and woodcut prints and word of mouth covered the so called trials and hanging. Burning of witches did not happen here, that was reserved for other countries. Heretics where burnt, not witches.
As for websites, try looking for the Mathew Hoskins witchfinder general, also King James witches as James the first whilst on the Scottish throne took interest in the witch hunts there.

Answer 3

In the 17th century, witches were both male and female persons who had made a pact to serve the devil. In exchange, the devil passed along certain powers to the witches. According to confessed witch William Barker, the devil promised to pay all Barker's debts and that he would live comfortably. The devil also told him that he wanted to set up his own kingdom where there would be neither punishment nor shame for sin. In most witchcraft cases, the status and sex of the witch had much to do with who was accused. It began that way with 1692 Salem, but eventually became much more democratic as to who was accused. Many men were accused, as were a number of church members and upper class types, including Philip English, one of the Colony's richest men. It is true that rich or influential persons could find means of escape.

Answer 4

any woman who did healing - the village 'Wise Woman' it is now thought that the up and coming medical profession [male] did not want any rivals taking a share of their money. An unbelievable number [in the millions] of women were hanged in Europe as 'witches' over all. Of course a lot of personal vendettas were at the bottom of some denunciations. As it was a period of wet weather, ergot poisoning via mouldy bread has been blamed for hysterical outbreaks of witch hunting such as that in New England.

So Types of women - the elderly and vulnerable
the intelligent who showed it
the one that wouldn't toe the marital line and obey her husband
the successful healer
the one who would not toe the religious line and obey the priest
the one who was independent
the one who lived alone without the protection of a man - widows etc
the simple or mentally ill
anyone with trouble with her neighbours
in fact anyone who was not protected from the accusations.......

Answer 5

Pretty much anybody that went against religious orthodoxy in anyplace that was instable or fighting to establish itself. For example, in Massachusetts the colony was new and trying to establish itself, so anything that was seen as an attack on authority was put down. When women, perhaps inspired by the sense of freedom they encountered in the new world, tried to assert themselves, they were often accused of being witches. In Europe, particularly central Europe, when anyone challenged the established religions of the time, they sometimes were condemned as being witches as well. What is more, when the environment is set in this manner, it became easy for anyone to accuse another of being a witch. So anyone who pissed off their neighbor set themselves up for false accusations. It is likely this latter predicament, steeped in paranoia from religious and political instability (remember that this is a time of great religious schism) that lead to most witch trials. So who were accused? Women, primarily, but pretty much anyone who lived in an instable region, questioned orthodox thinking in that region, and angered someone in a prominent position enough to draw an accusation.

Answer 6

The accusation of being a witch usually resulted in the demise of the accused . so many small village societies in the middle ages used it to get ride of woman they did not like ,or if someone had a rival for another man it was a handy way to snuff out the opposition , or for just plain jealousy

Answer 7

Inquisition was started in Spain due to (Moores) - Muslims taking over certain parts of southern Spain and Portugal.

In 1400's Catholics regained control threw out Muslims,
but because for a couple of generations of Muslims occupation there were many converted Muslims and Jews living in newly acquired catholic territory.

Inquisition was started to sniff out different denominations and get rid of threat of insurgency, as well as to destroy culture instilling complete control of a roman catholic doctrine.

As years progressed 1400's- to late 1700's like all other government intuitions with lots of power things became skewed and corrupt so as anyone could be declared a witch/heretic subject to torture and death.

Inquisition was finally put down by Napoleon Bonaparte who took control of France, Spain and most of Europe, when France had their revolution after supporting America's revolution from England.

If you meant the witches in America they were basically accused as such by the Puritans ( a strict religious sect that fled Europe for the new world) Most probably taking their superstitions and methods from the Inquisitions happening all through Europe conducted by the church.

Witches were most probably people with mental disorders such as bi-polar, schizophrenic or some seen threat to the community status quo.

Answer 8

well consider that a scarce harvest , or a maladies of cows, was considered a production of Evil, and of witches. So they look for people who did something "Special" between this fact. "Special" could be a strange rite, not going to church, going aloe in a spcial place, cleaning metodically the place where they sat at chirch, or something touched by other people. few signs were enough to be showed like a witch. Also using herbs for curing was often considered a way used by witches, especially in ignorant villages.

Answer 9

You could have a look at translations of the anti-witchcraft texts Malleus Maleficarum and Daemonologie. These were on the reading list as background information when I studied 17th Century witchcraft texts at university. These texts were used to suggest ways of identifying witches. Try the links to them below:
http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org/
http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/kjd/index.htm

Answer 10

Two completely different traditions. The Voodoo doll is from the African traditions of magic that were taken to the Caribbean via the slave trade. Wicca generally uses 'familiars' or 'fetishes'. These are representations but not dolls. Also in Voodoo the dolls are mostly used for left-hand magical purposes and in Wicca they are mostly used for healing as Wiccans were there for treating ailments and disease, not to curse people. Both traditions go much further back in history than C17th. Both are pre-christian. Hope that helps Blessed Be