England’s last witches
HistoryExtra podcast
00:00
Why the Biddeford Case Didn't Spiral in the Same Way That the Matthew Hopkins and John Sterne Cases Did
Local authorities act to get the women as far away from bidderford as possible. Getting them down to exeter on trial is a way of removing the immediate problem. There's also a kind of belief that one of the affected bits of counter magic is the moment a witch is in jail, she can't harm the victim. So they act very quickly because they want o stop the privatisation of justice. They don’t need mob rule. The other reason that this case doesn't lead to big english witch hunts at the end of charles the second's reign, particularly tense period. At the moment the women go to the gallows and are confronted by harn the witch hunter,
Play episode from 27:19
Transcript
