1. Witchcraft in the 17th Century
Focus Questions: Why did people in the 17th century believe that certain people were witches?
Were the trials fair?
How could they even start?!

2. What do witches look like?
Think of what a witch looks like today, then draw one on a piece of paper. (Keep this picture.)
Why do we think of witches in this way?
Do you think witches in the 17th century would have looked like this?

3. A witch? Joan of Arc was tried as witch (and heretic) in May 1431
Do you remember the evidence that they used?

4. How to Spot a Witch
In 1597 James I produced a book on witchcraft entitled ‘Daemononlogie’. In the book he explained how to ‘spot’ a witch simply by looking for the following signs:
If the person does not know the Lord’s Prayer.
If they are a friend, neighbour or relative of a witch.
If a person dies or has an accident after arguing with the accused.
If everybody who lives near the person believes that they are a witch.

5. Now, draw a picture of what a 17th century witch might look like.
Witch Traits
The information in James I’s book added to existing beliefs about how to find witches.
Stuart Witch Catchers Guide
She may have a ‘familiar’ to help her in her evil work – a cat, bird, or toad.
She may have a ‘witch’s mark’ – a lump or mark on her skin where she fed her familiar with her own blood.
She can hurt people by looking at them.
She cannot say the Lord’s Prayer without making a small mistake.
Her hair cannot be cut.
She makes curses that work.
She has no shadow.
Note: Any one, or any combination, is enough to identify a witch!
Now, draw a picture of what a 17th century witch might look like.

6. Videos: Horrible Histories and Monty Python
Take note of the sort of methods that are used to identify each witch – which ones are true? How are these methods presented in the videos?

7. Why did people believe in witches?
Why do you think people believed in witches in the 17th century?

8. Witch Hunt Factors
Fill out your chart in note-form to explain why people believed in witches
Economics – Rising prices on food and other economic changes such as enclosure made people want to blame someone for the hard times. Furthermore, if a person was convicted of witchcraft their property would be confiscated. Thus, people accused others through greed.
Civil War – The civil war set neighbour against neighbour. People had old grievances and didn’t trust each other. If they disliked someone, they could easily get rid of them by accusing them of witchcraft.
Religion – Everyone believed in the Devil and Hell. If things went wrong people would accuse witches of doing the Devil’s work. Anyone involved in any rituals would be accused of witchcraft.

9. Witch Hunt Factors
Superstition – Linked to religion but slightly different. People believed in magic, were very superstitious, and were afraid of anything that was strange to them. They believed completely in the idea of witchcraft.
Lack of Scientific Understanding – It had not yet been discovered how different weather could occur, or how climate could affect crops. People had little understanding of illnesses. Because these things could not yet be explained, witches were blamed for any misfortune that occurred.

10. Focus Question: Were 17th century witch trials fair?
From the videos, did they seem fair?

11. Testing for Guilt
Once witches were accused, they were tested in a variety of ways.
Most of these testing methods were forms of torture. Like today, many people would confess under the strain.
Some of these methods didn’t even require a confession, as the test itself would decide the fate of the accused.
Discuss: Can you think of any possible tests 17th century people may have used to test for witchcraft?

12. Ordeal by water
A suspect would be stripped naked and then tied up - the right thumb to the left big toe and vice versa.
In this position the suspect was then secured by ropes and thrown into a deep stream or pond three times.
If the suspect sank (and often drowned) they were deemed as innocent - if they floated then they were 'guilty'.
Often men with long poles were employed to push the suspect under the water, while others, holding the ropes could drag him/her to the surface again.
This test was linked to baptism. It was believed that water rejected servants of the devil thus if a suspect floated or refused to sink it was proof of guilt.

13. Ordeal by Fire
The suspect was required to walk a certain distance, usually nine feet, over red-hot plowshares or holding a red-hot iron.
The suspect’s wounds, whether on their hands or feet, would then be bandaged up and left for three days.
When the three days had passed, a priest would examine the wound.
If it had healed, the priest would pronounce that God had intervened to heal it.
If it was festering the priest would declare it a sign of guilt.
This test was based on the belief that God would give the innocent the strength to bear the pain and then heal them, whilst the guilty would be left to rot.

14. Discuss!
What would happen to those who were found ‘innocent’ but died?
How do these trials compare with our own legal system?

15. Matthew Hopkins
Self-appointed ‘witchfinder general’, who went about the counties of Eastern England preying on weak, elderly women.
His reign of terror began in 1644 when he was employed by towns to seek out and destroy witches.
He was commissioned by parliament, and received large payments – 20 shillings per witch.
He claimed he was an expert and examined suspects himself to obtain ‘proof’ of witchcraft, using methods including sleep deprivation.

16. His Methods
He was convinced that witches had familiars that would feed off them, so suspects were watched at all times.
Suspects were forced to sit on a stool, both day and night, and were periodically ‘walked’ to ensure they did not fall asleep. A large number of women confessed after a few nights of this treatment.
Hopkins also claimed that if a witch was stabbed she would not bleed. It is said he used a knife with a retractable blade to prove this.
Confessing or being found guilty of witchcraft often led to a death sentence, either by drowning, hanging or being burned at the stake.

17. What happened to him?
People started to grow tired of Hopkins and his greed.
In 1647 he was forced to take one of his own tests. He was bound, thrown into a river, floated, and was sentenced to death.
However he left a strong legacy. During his reign he was responsible for the killings of over 230 alleged witches, far more than any other witch-hunter during the peak of the witch craze.

18. Why were there more trials at certain times?
1580s & 1590s A time of poor harvests, famine and rebellion. People were looking for someone else to blame their misfortune on s - English Civil War ( ) Witch fever rose again because the war caused old grievances to resurface as people turned against one another. This was particularly bad in areas controlled by Puritans.

19. Video: Top 5 Facts
Of the facts that you hear, what do you find the most surprising? Why? Why do you think other cultures also experience this phenomenon? HOMEWORK: find out more about another kind of witchcraft from any point in history (that means you can’t do your homework on a 17th century European witch). How is this witch treated? What could they do? Any identifying feature? Etc. Write a short paragraph of your finding and be ready to share with the class!