Tag: Witch Trials
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Identifying the Last Witch to be Burned in Ireland: Was it Bridget Cleary?
The story of Bridget Cleary illustrates the violent consequences of folklore beliefs, merging themes of guilt, punishment, and societal perceptions surrounding women in Ireland. Kate Phillips explores Cleary’s legacy and whether she ought to be considered the last witch to be burned in Ireland.
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Innocence Betrayed, Condemnation’s Blade
This man, once healed by Sarah’s hand, now accused her, taking a stand. “Her potions cured what prayers could not.” His voice shook, a fearful plot. In this fiction piece, Ambrose Brown explores themes of injustice and superstition in Salem’s history.
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The Pendle Witches: How a Nine-Year-Old Girl Sentenced Her Family to Death
On 18 August 1621, nine-year Jennet Device testified against her family during the notorious Pendle witch trials. Marnie Camping-Harris examines how the young girl came to be a key witness in a case which resulted in the execution of her closest relatives.
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Misogyny: The Driving Force of the Great European Witch-Hunts from the Fifteenth to Seventeenth Centuries
Written by Sophia Aiello. The Witch Trials of the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries have been well studied, but what role did misogyny have in this crisis, and how did the stereotype of the ‘witch’ develop?
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Witches by Weather: The Impact of Climate in Early Modern Witch Trials
Written by Melissa Kane. Dramatic changes in climate have for a long time demanded an explanation. Melissa Kane explores how the European Witch Trials became tied to the storms and cold of the ‘Little Ice Age’, as yet more proof of malicious deviancy.
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Precursors to Salem Part Three: The Gloucester Invasions
Written by Melissa Kane. This three part series explores some of the precursors to the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Part three recounts the events of the Gloucester Invasions on 1692.
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Precursors to Salem Part One: Elizabeth Knapp
Written by Melissa Kane. This three part series explores some of the precursors to the infamous witch trials at Salem. Part One recounts the case of Elizabeth Knapp of 1671.
Retrospect Journal 