The Tragedy of the Bideford Witches
In the popular imagination, witches cast demonic spells from secret books. The popular imagination is wrong.
The Witch-Hunting Craze
From 1450 to 1750, a strange madness infected the people of Europe.
Poverty, famine, bubonic plague, and other terrible afflictions were close companions for the people who lived in the early Middle Ages. Ignorant and superstitious people needed an explanation for these disasters and they settled on blaming dark and malevolent forces. They needed a scapegoat to blame for the misfortunes that befell them.
Huge numbers of people came to believe that certain people had formed pacts with the Devil in order to acquire black magic powers. And, religion played a role in prodding along the persecution of witches. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII denounced witches, giving followers license to seek out and exterminate them.
Later, Protestant Jean Calvin warned that even those who were the holiest of souls could still fall into Satan's clutches. Best dispose of his witch handmaidens to get rid of the poison.
Alice Molland's name is on this plaque but there's no documentary evidence that she was executed as a witch.
The Bideford Witches
The town of Bideford sits on the north coast of Devon, in southwest England. It was here, in the late 17th century, that three women were accused of witchcraft and brought to trial.
By that time, the passion for catching and killing witches had mostly died down, but for Temperance Lloyd, Susanna Edwards, and Mary Trembles, the enlightenment came too late.
Temperance Lloyd
In February 1671, a man called William Herbert claimed on his deathbed that “Temperance Lloyd ... had bewitched him unto death.” A trial had followed ending with the acquittal of the alleged witch. But, the woman's reputation as a malicious practitioner of the dark arts did not go away.
In July 1682, a shopkeeper named Thomas Eastchurch came forward with the allegation that Temperance Lloyd had cast a spell on one Grace Thomas, causing her to fall ill.
Then, Anne Wakeley reported seeing a magpie outside the home of Grace Thomas and the same bird in the company of Lloyd. Clearly, she must be a familiar of the bird, or, indeed, had taken the shape of it to cast her wicked spells.
Others claimed they had heard Lloyd admit to being in league with the Devil. Further proof that she was a witch was not deemed necessary and Lloyd was arrested.
The charges involved “suspicion of having used some magical art, sorcery or witchcraft upon the body of Grace Thomas and to have had discourse or familiarity with the Devil in the likeness or shape of a black man.”
Mary Trembles and Susanna Edwards
Two other women were known to associate with Lloyd and had joined her in begging for food in Bideford. Rumours and gossip meant that Mary Trembles and Susanna Edwards also came under suspicion.
As with Temperance Lloyd, there were townsfolk who accused Trembles and Edwards of using Satan's powers to bring illness to citizens. Again, Grace Barnes featured in the allegations, while others asserted they had heard the women confess to using witchcraft.
Trial of the Witches
The three women were taken to the city of Exeter to face their charges. Martha Griffiths writes that “By now the city was seized with curiosity about the witches and the streets rang with tales of their supernatural powers. All kinds of miracles were attributed to them and public hysteria was at fever pitch ...”
The trial, in all its solemn majesty, was held under the supervision of Justice Sir Thomas Raymond and before a jury on August 19. But, the outcome was not in doubt.
Low Burden of Proof
Witchcraft was a crime apart from all others; conviction was based on suspicion rather than proof. How could it be otherwise?
Here is the testimony of one so-called witness that carried the weight of proven fact: Susanna Edwards told him that she had enjoyed sexual contact with the Devil and ...
“that he had sucked her in her breast and in her secret parts.” He added “that he did hear her say that she and Mary Trembles did appear hand in hand invisible in John Barnes’s house where Grace the wife of John Barnes did lie in a very sad condition ... he did then also hear Susanna say that she and Mary Trembles were at that time come to make an end of her.”
The chances of acquittal were further shattered by the fact that the three women had all entered a guilty plea. Why on Earth would they do that?
The only explanation is that the belief in sorcery was so deeply ingrained that some people would admit to being witches even though they weren't and even though they were facing the death penalty. Did the internal conversation go something like “My neighbours say I’m a witch so I’m doomed no matter what”?
The jury had no difficulty in finding the women guilty of being witches and the judge passed the sentence of death.
Punishment followed quickly upon conviction in those days and six days later they were taken to the gallows. As they faced their terrible ordeal, the three women recanted their confessions. But, it was too late and they became the last people hanged as witches in England.
Victims of ignorance and superstition.
Bonus Factoids
- Historians estimate that between 40,000 and 100,000 people were executed in Europe during the witch-hunting craze. Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Switzerland accounted for most of the persecutions and between 75 and 80 percent of those put to death were women.
- In Scotland, the prosecution of witches continued into the early 18th century, and, because the “crime” was deemed to be heresy, the punishment was burning at the stake rather than hanging.
- In 1944, Helen Duncan was charged under Britain's ancient Witchcraft Law, the last person in the country to be so prosecuted.
- Witch-hunting, persecution, and execution continue today.
Sources
- “European Witch-Hunting (A Brief History).” Lauren Nitschke, thecollector.com, February 13, 2022.
- “Witchcraft: What Caused the Witch-Hunts in Early Modern Europe.” Angela Michelle Schultz, exemplore.com, April 5, 2022.
- “The Dark History of Exeter - the First and Last Place to Kill a 'Witch.' ” Rom Preston-Ellis, devonlive.com, May 25, 2018.
- “The Tragic Story of the Bideford Women Who Were the Last to Be Convicted of Witchcraft in England.” Martha Griffiths, greatbritishlife.co.uk, October 25, 2019.
- “A Timeline of Witch Hunts in Europe.” Jone Johnson Lewis, thoughtco.com, February 20, 2020.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2023 Rupert Taylor
