Witchfinder General

by Craig Cabell

Matthew Hopkins is perhaps the most notorious, certainly the most productive, witchfinder that England ever boasted. In eighteen months between 1645 and 1646, he was responsible for the condemnation and execution of at least 230 witches in south-east England and East Anglia. His victims were for the most part elderly women, though men too, even respected clergymen, faced trial and capital punishment for performing witchcraft and making covenants with Satan. Hopkins had appointed himself Witchfinder General by order of Parliament but his reputation as a local hero became tarnished by his use of excessive torture, too many false accusations, and confessions obtained by dubious means. His death is somewhat mysterious. He died while still quite young, possibly after having been accused of witchcraft himself and executed. Craig Cabell, already a noted biographer of such contemporary students of the occult as Dennis Wheatley and James Herbert, uses the copious extant records and Hopkins's own writings, to create a richly detailed picture of a man and a society obsessed with magic, devil worship and the powers of darkness.He provides the first full modern biography of a man who turned his undoubted energies and gifts into a streamlined, and profitable, killing machine.

Genres: History, Biography

160 pages, Hardcover

First published September 21, 2006

Reviews

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well researched read and I felt throughout that the author discussing his reasons for the belief or lack of, in certain aspects of Hopkin's life was done very well. The style of writing was concise and held my interest until the last page. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about the self-styled Witchfinder General.

[Deborah Foulkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book became my companion during my dissertation writing. Thank you for giving me some bases to start from

[Bill38silver · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not history, more hoax-story. It is a disappointing mixture of fact and fiction.

The author emphasises on a regular basis the importance of source material and then is consistent in bringing in statements and theories that are not supported by hard evidence. Circumstantial at best. He provides a possible interpretation and then makes a quantum leap to back this up somehow. For example, he writes: "Cromwell was worried about Hopkin's work" but steered clear happy that Hopkins' work was leading to the execution of Catholics or Royalists. Really? In the previous sentence he writes "Cromwell had family ties with East Anglia; he must have heard of Matthew Hopkins and therefore would have developed an opinion of him, but whereas there is much documentation concerning Cromwell ...we find nothing concerning him and Matthew Hopkins". So where does the author Cromwell's 'worrying' about Matthew Hopkins come from? Here, and elsewhere, I suggest from the fertile mind of the author.

I can visualise the producers of "The Crown" TV series turning this book into a mini-epic, with an opening sequence of countryside fog with Phillipa Langley emerging from the 9.30 train from Liverpool Street at Manningtree station with a large folder marked " The Evidence" and meeting a figure dressed all in black whose face we do not see. Instead, cut to images of Peter Cushing, and then Vincent Price. But then the face comes into focus: it is Judge Rinder to give his verdict, for a fee. Sorry, but I will not be watching it either.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't know about other witch trials apart from the Pendle one and the Salem one although I knew there must have been others. I was looking forward to reading about the truths etc behind a person of high importance during the trials but I found this quite boring. Nothing was really said of any importance and whilst it wasn't sold to the reader as a book about the trials it would have been nice to learn about the characters involved and how he interacted with them a bit more. Bit of a disappointment for me sorry.