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The Last Witches of England: A Tragedy of Sorcery and Superstition
"Intriguing." BBC History Magazine
On the morning of Thursday 29 June 1682, a magpie came rasping, rapping and tapping at the window of a prosperous Devon merchant. Frightened by its appearance, his servants and members of his family had, within a matter of hours, convinced themselves that the bird was an emissary of the devil sent by witches to destroy the fabric of their lives. As the result of these allegations, three women of Bideford came to be forever defined as witches. A Secretary of State brushed aside their case and condemned them to the gallows; to hang as the last group of women to be executed in England for the crime. Yet, the hatred of their neighbours endured. For Bideford, it was said, was a place of witches.
Though 'pretty much worn away' the belief in witchcraft still lingered on for more than a century after their deaths. In turn, ignored, reviled, and extinguished but never more than half-forgotten, it seems that the memory of these three women - and of their deeds and sufferings, both real and imagined – was transformed from canker to regret, and from regret into celebration in our own age. Indeed, their example was cited during the final Parliamentary debates, in 1951, that saw the last of the witchcraft acts repealed, and their names were chanted, as both inspiration and incantation, by the women beyond the wire at Greenham Common.
In this book, John Callow explores this remarkable reversal of fate, and the remarkable tale of the Bideford Witches.
On the morning of Thursday 29 June 1682, a magpie came rasping, rapping and tapping at the window of a prosperous Devon merchant. Frightened by its appearance, his servants and members of his family had, within a matter of hours, convinced themselves that the bird was an emissary of the devil sent by witches to destroy the fabric of their lives. As the result of these allegations, three women of Bideford came to be forever defined as witches. A Secretary of State brushed aside their case and condemned them to the gallows; to hang as the last group of women to be executed in England for the crime. Yet, the hatred of their neighbours endured. For Bideford, it was said, was a place of witches.
Though 'pretty much worn away' the belief in witchcraft still lingered on for more than a century after their deaths. In turn, ignored, reviled, and extinguished but never more than half-forgotten, it seems that the memory of these three women - and of their deeds and sufferings, both real and imagined – was transformed from canker to regret, and from regret into celebration in our own age. Indeed, their example was cited during the final Parliamentary debates, in 1951, that saw the last of the witchcraft acts repealed, and their names were chanted, as both inspiration and incantation, by the women beyond the wire at Greenham Common.
In this book, John Callow explores this remarkable reversal of fate, and the remarkable tale of the Bideford Witches.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published October 7, 2021
About the author
John Callow
49 books15 followersJohn Callow gained a First Class BA Honours degree from Lancaster University, an MA with distinction from Durham. and holds a Doctorate from Lancaster University, that was funded by the British Academy.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 27, 2022
Deeply researched and well written book about a fascinating, tragic topic.
April 14, 2026
2.75/5
A bit of a slog and was a bit boring in parts. Felt like large parts were filler.
🖤🤟🏻
A bit of a slog and was a bit boring in parts. Felt like large parts were filler.
🖤🤟🏻
October 8, 2021
The Bideford Witches - three women who had the misfortune to be labelled witches by their neighbours & became the last women hanged for the crime of witchcraft in 17th-century-England. In a time of political & religious turmoil, the unfortunate coincidences of a magpie tapping at the window, & a stray cat apparently stealing a child's toy were enough to raise the spectre of witchcraft. Although in 1682 they were the last to be hanged for the crime, the last of the witchcraft acts were not repealed until 1951. This book looks at how the women were caught up in a maelstrom of innuendo & class struggle from which there was little hope of escape for three poverty-stricken elderly women.
This was an informative read. The author argues from the position that the witch trials in England, & especially in these cases, were less a product of misogyny & more a reaction to the political & religious change over the previous century, alongside the huge divide between the better off & the poor. I found myself convinced by most of the arguments, but I believe that there were still definite elements of misogyny. Women grow up in the same societies as men, & they are just as capable of internalised misogyny which is then directed towards other women. One only has to think of how middle-aged & elderly women are treated online today, & I agree with the author that some of it seems to be rooted in the fear of seeing how you will eventually be treated yourself as you age. The book is an ultimately tragic tale of 3 elderly women who held very little power in society, & were easy scapegoats for its ills.
Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Bloomsbury Academic, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
This was an informative read. The author argues from the position that the witch trials in England, & especially in these cases, were less a product of misogyny & more a reaction to the political & religious change over the previous century, alongside the huge divide between the better off & the poor. I found myself convinced by most of the arguments, but I believe that there were still definite elements of misogyny. Women grow up in the same societies as men, & they are just as capable of internalised misogyny which is then directed towards other women. One only has to think of how middle-aged & elderly women are treated online today, & I agree with the author that some of it seems to be rooted in the fear of seeing how you will eventually be treated yourself as you age. The book is an ultimately tragic tale of 3 elderly women who held very little power in society, & were easy scapegoats for its ills.
Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Bloomsbury Academic, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
May 7, 2023
Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me, it read more like a research paper , it’s so full of just names and dates and was very repetitive if you are looking for an interesting book covering women's history, this is not the book for you.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 10, 2023
This review was originally written for The Folklore Podcast and can also be found on that website. If you're interested in my interview with the author, you can listen to that here
Thursday, June 29th, 1682 was a morning that changed everything in the town of Bideford. An opportunistic magpie managed to fly into the room of a wealthy Devon merchant and startle the women airing out the sheets. This not-too-rare occurrence was one in a string of small, strange events for that family and other townsfolk. A cat seen at the wrong moment, an unkind word said to a thieving child, and a myriad of other moments of sheer happenstance surrounded three elderly, widowed, and destitute women in the busy port town. These led to accusations of witchcraft and their eventual execution by hanging. Their names were Temperance Lloyd, Mary Trembles, and Susannah Edwards -- but they are better known to history as the Bideford Witches.
The Last Witches of England: A Tragedy of Sorcery and Superstition was released by Bloomsbury Academic earlier this year. In this book, John Callow sets about the monumental task of making sense out of tragedy. The Bideford Witches were the last group executed in England for the crime of witchcraft - and Callow is determined to tell their story. He painstakingly goes through the available writings on the trials, including later-released pamphlets and ballads composed to commemorate the dead. Through these disparate sources an unusual story rapidly emerges.
What drives a populace to accuse a person of witchcraft? Callow unravels the threads of this question and creates a compelling answer. By delving into the social context of Bideford during the late 1600s, he paints a picture of a thriving port town. The social pressures caused by widening class gaps, growing immigrant populations, and increasingly fractious political divides created a populace in need of a scapegoat. There were no more vulnerable targets in Bideford than these women who embodied the notion of the Outsider and had nobody to defend them.
Callow puts to rest the idea of misogyny being the true root of witch persecution, while also acknowledging the importance of that narrative for the time in which it emerged in the 70s and 80s and what symbols of empowerment the Bideford Witches have now become. More famous now in death than they ever were in life, the tragic story of their persecution has been reclaimed in more recent decades by varying groups. Were they truly witches put to death for their differing beliefs, or were they innocents worthy of pity?
The brilliance of Callow’s book is in the realization that these women occupy both spaces – as does Alice Molland, the woman executed a scant three years later who became (according to some) the last person put to death in England for witchcraft. I came away from this book shocked at how much of the political and social pressures that resulted in such dangerous prejudice as witch hunts are still present in the zeitgeist now. This riveting read is important albeit uncomfortable. In this book, Callow has allowed readers to look at their shared past unflinchingly so that we may go into a less tragic future.
Thursday, June 29th, 1682 was a morning that changed everything in the town of Bideford. An opportunistic magpie managed to fly into the room of a wealthy Devon merchant and startle the women airing out the sheets. This not-too-rare occurrence was one in a string of small, strange events for that family and other townsfolk. A cat seen at the wrong moment, an unkind word said to a thieving child, and a myriad of other moments of sheer happenstance surrounded three elderly, widowed, and destitute women in the busy port town. These led to accusations of witchcraft and their eventual execution by hanging. Their names were Temperance Lloyd, Mary Trembles, and Susannah Edwards -- but they are better known to history as the Bideford Witches.
The Last Witches of England: A Tragedy of Sorcery and Superstition was released by Bloomsbury Academic earlier this year. In this book, John Callow sets about the monumental task of making sense out of tragedy. The Bideford Witches were the last group executed in England for the crime of witchcraft - and Callow is determined to tell their story. He painstakingly goes through the available writings on the trials, including later-released pamphlets and ballads composed to commemorate the dead. Through these disparate sources an unusual story rapidly emerges.
What drives a populace to accuse a person of witchcraft? Callow unravels the threads of this question and creates a compelling answer. By delving into the social context of Bideford during the late 1600s, he paints a picture of a thriving port town. The social pressures caused by widening class gaps, growing immigrant populations, and increasingly fractious political divides created a populace in need of a scapegoat. There were no more vulnerable targets in Bideford than these women who embodied the notion of the Outsider and had nobody to defend them.
Callow puts to rest the idea of misogyny being the true root of witch persecution, while also acknowledging the importance of that narrative for the time in which it emerged in the 70s and 80s and what symbols of empowerment the Bideford Witches have now become. More famous now in death than they ever were in life, the tragic story of their persecution has been reclaimed in more recent decades by varying groups. Were they truly witches put to death for their differing beliefs, or were they innocents worthy of pity?
The brilliance of Callow’s book is in the realization that these women occupy both spaces – as does Alice Molland, the woman executed a scant three years later who became (according to some) the last person put to death in England for witchcraft. I came away from this book shocked at how much of the political and social pressures that resulted in such dangerous prejudice as witch hunts are still present in the zeitgeist now. This riveting read is important albeit uncomfortable. In this book, Callow has allowed readers to look at their shared past unflinchingly so that we may go into a less tragic future.
October 31, 2021
I'm being generous giving this 3 stars, It really deserves 2.5 but I'll round it up.
It's a fascinating subject but really dry and I got so bored that I honestly struggled to finish the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
It's a fascinating subject but really dry and I got so bored that I honestly struggled to finish the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
June 12, 2022
Interesting, easy-to-read history of witches! Definitely a great one to read around Halloween time!.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
October 4, 2021
John Callow The Last Witches of England A Tragedy of Sorcery and Superstition Bloomsbury Academic 2022
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.
This is a well-designed narrative, following the steps by which the last witches in England became the victims of poverty and changing social and religious ideas. Both factors had an impact on the development of superstition in Bideford, England, where the women lived, and Callow's narrative makes this case well.
Each chapter adds a detailed and engrossing ‘block’ to the result, an adept building of events that lead to the acceptance that three women, Temperance Lloyd, Susanna Edwards and Mary Trembles were witches, and the punishment meted out. Although I did not find the strong feminist account that I had expected, and my reason for requesting this book, I was impressed by the enterprise with its sheer avalanche of detail of the lives and events following ‘The magpie at the window’ prologue. In relation to my expecting a feminist approach, Callow has reservations, and criticisms of 1970s and 1980s feminist accounts. Nevertheless, I found this an engrossing alternative view, with some understanding of women’s position, worth reading alongside more orthodox feminist readings of the events. Certainly, women’s involvement in the persecution of witches, recounted by Callow, is a good start to any debate. However, it is also imperative to remember that it was powerful men who managed the cases against the accused women. Again, Callow also draws attention to the way in which the various cases against the women were conducted, with a range of attitudes and outcomes for those involved. I would like to reiterate – a debate, of which this book is a worthy part.
It took me some time to develop a feeling for the amount of detail, at times I thought extraneous, with which each character and event is endowed. I was glad that I persevered, gradually recognising the flow of the narrative, moving slowly in some ways, towards a momentous conclusion. The result of this early reluctance is to encourage other readers who feel overwhelmed, to persevere. This is an academic book rather than a popular story about the way in which poverty, discrimination and fear led to horrendous results for three innocent women. It carries the weight of enlightening readers about the myriad of ideas and events that can lead to such a result. The painting of a picture that enlightens is not always easy, but Callow has achieved this in The Last Witches of England.
Chapter 6, ‘A fine gentleman dressed all in black’, provides a compelling journey through the case against Temperance Lloyd, with its blend of her insouciant acceptance of some of the charges; the irrationality of the accusations; the role of the person recording (and at times reinterpreting) the evidence; the aspirations of the accusers; the role of religious differences; the shortcomings of the medical profession; and the power of various men involved in decision-making. Chapter 7 extends the argument that evidence was manipulated (as were recorded conversations) to fit people’s understandings of witchcraft. This is an interesting discussion in itself, with its obvious application to the way in which contemporary irrational statements are couched to meet social understandings which may or may not be valid.
Callow also follows up ‘rational’ underpinnings of the arguments made on behalf of accusations of witchcraft – which, of course now seem hard to believe. However, with Callow’s attention to the historical setting of these cases, they complete the scenario that impacted the trials of the three women accused and found guilty of witchcraft.
The book is complete with illustrations, which are listed; an index; a large bibliography of secondary sources; primary sources including archival and printed material; and detailed endnotes for each chapter. There is a note on dating and terminology.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.
This is a well-designed narrative, following the steps by which the last witches in England became the victims of poverty and changing social and religious ideas. Both factors had an impact on the development of superstition in Bideford, England, where the women lived, and Callow's narrative makes this case well.
Each chapter adds a detailed and engrossing ‘block’ to the result, an adept building of events that lead to the acceptance that three women, Temperance Lloyd, Susanna Edwards and Mary Trembles were witches, and the punishment meted out. Although I did not find the strong feminist account that I had expected, and my reason for requesting this book, I was impressed by the enterprise with its sheer avalanche of detail of the lives and events following ‘The magpie at the window’ prologue. In relation to my expecting a feminist approach, Callow has reservations, and criticisms of 1970s and 1980s feminist accounts. Nevertheless, I found this an engrossing alternative view, with some understanding of women’s position, worth reading alongside more orthodox feminist readings of the events. Certainly, women’s involvement in the persecution of witches, recounted by Callow, is a good start to any debate. However, it is also imperative to remember that it was powerful men who managed the cases against the accused women. Again, Callow also draws attention to the way in which the various cases against the women were conducted, with a range of attitudes and outcomes for those involved. I would like to reiterate – a debate, of which this book is a worthy part.
It took me some time to develop a feeling for the amount of detail, at times I thought extraneous, with which each character and event is endowed. I was glad that I persevered, gradually recognising the flow of the narrative, moving slowly in some ways, towards a momentous conclusion. The result of this early reluctance is to encourage other readers who feel overwhelmed, to persevere. This is an academic book rather than a popular story about the way in which poverty, discrimination and fear led to horrendous results for three innocent women. It carries the weight of enlightening readers about the myriad of ideas and events that can lead to such a result. The painting of a picture that enlightens is not always easy, but Callow has achieved this in The Last Witches of England.
Chapter 6, ‘A fine gentleman dressed all in black’, provides a compelling journey through the case against Temperance Lloyd, with its blend of her insouciant acceptance of some of the charges; the irrationality of the accusations; the role of the person recording (and at times reinterpreting) the evidence; the aspirations of the accusers; the role of religious differences; the shortcomings of the medical profession; and the power of various men involved in decision-making. Chapter 7 extends the argument that evidence was manipulated (as were recorded conversations) to fit people’s understandings of witchcraft. This is an interesting discussion in itself, with its obvious application to the way in which contemporary irrational statements are couched to meet social understandings which may or may not be valid.
Callow also follows up ‘rational’ underpinnings of the arguments made on behalf of accusations of witchcraft – which, of course now seem hard to believe. However, with Callow’s attention to the historical setting of these cases, they complete the scenario that impacted the trials of the three women accused and found guilty of witchcraft.
The book is complete with illustrations, which are listed; an index; a large bibliography of secondary sources; primary sources including archival and printed material; and detailed endnotes for each chapter. There is a note on dating and terminology.
November 11, 2021
I received an e-arc of this title for review purposes courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher.
While this book did have some interesting facts I enjoyed learning about the last witch trials that occurred in England I think it's density really dragged it down for me.
It was clearly impeccably researched but I think that too much adjacent information ended up in the finished work, which just made it more convoluted than it needed to be.
Some of these bites of information such as excessive names and dates that really had no bearing on the main topic could have perhaps instead been included as footnotes or as suggested sources for further reading.
Coupled with the fact that there was really no personality to the writing style made this a very dry read.
It was about 30% into the book before you got to the meat of the trials and information about the three women accused and then only perhaps 20%-25% of the book discussed the trials before then reverting back to the politics and other simultaneous happenings of the time.
Which is still important for context, don't get me wrong. But it just felt excessive and a lot of the points made about topics that arose could have been explained by the author's concluding paragraph to make things more concise. It just began to feel quite repetitive in the points made and took the longest route to explaining those points at that.
When reading similar books on the history of the witch trials, for example "Witches: Salem 1692" by Stacy Schiff I didn't mind the detailed context setting up the description of the trials because she injected her writing with wit and clever humour. Which made it a more digestible and pleasurable reading experience.
Unfortunately, this wasn't for me, I'd recommend to someone who perhaps is interested in learning more about the politics of the time and area.
While this book did have some interesting facts I enjoyed learning about the last witch trials that occurred in England I think it's density really dragged it down for me.
It was clearly impeccably researched but I think that too much adjacent information ended up in the finished work, which just made it more convoluted than it needed to be.
Some of these bites of information such as excessive names and dates that really had no bearing on the main topic could have perhaps instead been included as footnotes or as suggested sources for further reading.
Coupled with the fact that there was really no personality to the writing style made this a very dry read.
It was about 30% into the book before you got to the meat of the trials and information about the three women accused and then only perhaps 20%-25% of the book discussed the trials before then reverting back to the politics and other simultaneous happenings of the time.
Which is still important for context, don't get me wrong. But it just felt excessive and a lot of the points made about topics that arose could have been explained by the author's concluding paragraph to make things more concise. It just began to feel quite repetitive in the points made and took the longest route to explaining those points at that.
When reading similar books on the history of the witch trials, for example "Witches: Salem 1692" by Stacy Schiff I didn't mind the detailed context setting up the description of the trials because she injected her writing with wit and clever humour. Which made it a more digestible and pleasurable reading experience.
Unfortunately, this wasn't for me, I'd recommend to someone who perhaps is interested in learning more about the politics of the time and area.
November 2, 2021
Overall, this is an okay book. Nothing more. The writing felt like the author had a word count to get to. The sentences were paragraphs and most had more than two commas. That made the whole pacing get dragged down to the boring territory. Also, if I was motivated to do so, I would love to find out how many times the word ‘furthermore’ is used. I can tell you it's a lot. In the beginning we are dropped into what feels like the middle of the story. We have a prologue about the ‘witch’ coming into a house to commit mischief. That was perfectly fine but then we are thrown into the history of the town with no context. There are names that we will never hear again and get information shoved down our throats until we’re confused. Then we get back to the actual story about the women charged of witchcraft. The quick and easy fix to this is having a brief rundown of what happened and THEN get into the details. The writing jumps around again at the end and takes us to modern day with no warning and talks about new age Pagans and wiccans. Now I will get into the good. I’m glad that these women are being brought to the forefront as people instead of monsters. It’s nice to hear about how they lived and were raised. Unfortunately that was one of the only things I liked. The info-dumping and being dumped into a story with no context is a deal breaker for me. I would recommend “The Witches” by Stacy Schiff. It has a cohesive story and a lot of digestible information.
November 9, 2021
Some people will find this book extremely informative and helpful, while others will find it rather dry and dull. The book itself can't seem to decide if it wants to be an academic offering or a slightly easier-to-read social history. I think that because of this it will likely end up with a wide range of ratings and reviews.
The story of the Bideford witches - three women accused of witchcraft for no good reason other than that they were poor, old, and ill-mannered - is interesting enough subject matter. In the hands of a skilled fiction writer it would make a great story. A social historian with a flair for the dramatic could make it an equally engrossing bit of non-fiction.
Unfortunately, in this particular book the story itself is buried under names and dates and an unfortunate tendency of the author to be repetetive. People wanting to know about the actual witch trials can skip chapters two and three entirely as they tell the story of the town itself and not the three women we all want to know about.
If you need information and research for a paper or project concerning the Bideford witches or witch trials in general, this is certainly a good book to have. If, however, you want a good true story to lose yourself in and contemplate as a bit of women's history, this is not the book for you.
The story of the Bideford witches - three women accused of witchcraft for no good reason other than that they were poor, old, and ill-mannered - is interesting enough subject matter. In the hands of a skilled fiction writer it would make a great story. A social historian with a flair for the dramatic could make it an equally engrossing bit of non-fiction.
Unfortunately, in this particular book the story itself is buried under names and dates and an unfortunate tendency of the author to be repetetive. People wanting to know about the actual witch trials can skip chapters two and three entirely as they tell the story of the town itself and not the three women we all want to know about.
If you need information and research for a paper or project concerning the Bideford witches or witch trials in general, this is certainly a good book to have. If, however, you want a good true story to lose yourself in and contemplate as a bit of women's history, this is not the book for you.
November 24, 2021
I was excited to receive this arc from @ne as it was about a story from England’s witch trials I had never read about, the Bideford witches.
The story itself is not very different from every other incidence of people, usually women, accused of witchcraft. The accused were old, destitute and unliked by members of their community. They were the final group of women to be executed for witchcraft in England and as a result Bideford became a place associated with witchcraft even many years after the women’s deaths.
This was an interesting book that introduced me to a segment of history that I knew nothing about. The author makes the connection that the witch trials of Britain were a reaction to the political and relooks changes that had gone on in previous decades. I found this argument to be really fascinating. He also touches on the misogyny against women, especially older and unmarried women.
While I found a lot of merit in this book, it was a dry read and I was always aware that I was reading a history book instead of getting lost in the narrative. Still, if you have an interest in this subject like I do, I think you will find it to be an interesting and informative read that adds to the understanding of the witchcraft trials.
The story itself is not very different from every other incidence of people, usually women, accused of witchcraft. The accused were old, destitute and unliked by members of their community. They were the final group of women to be executed for witchcraft in England and as a result Bideford became a place associated with witchcraft even many years after the women’s deaths.
This was an interesting book that introduced me to a segment of history that I knew nothing about. The author makes the connection that the witch trials of Britain were a reaction to the political and relooks changes that had gone on in previous decades. I found this argument to be really fascinating. He also touches on the misogyny against women, especially older and unmarried women.
While I found a lot of merit in this book, it was a dry read and I was always aware that I was reading a history book instead of getting lost in the narrative. Still, if you have an interest in this subject like I do, I think you will find it to be an interesting and informative read that adds to the understanding of the witchcraft trials.
November 24, 2021
Witches and witchcraft and the history of such things has been slowing seeping back into the pop culture of today and this book is a worthwhile addition to the discussion. This is a book about the women that were accused of being witches, why they were accused and how they responded to the accusations. There is also a lot of discussion around the idea of a witch craze and why so-called normal people can be drawn into such a fervor as too accuse and physically attack such people that the populace at large deemed witches.
This book focuses on the Bideford witches who were the last women in England to be hanged for being witches. Each woman of the three responded to the accusations against her uniquely and with varying degrees of success in their end goal.
However, as the book shows - years after these women's unfortunate deaths, they were used as an example to take back and repeal the witchcraft laws that were previously in place in England.
This book takes a very intriguing part of history and really narrows it down into a period of time and set of people that were crucial to both the continuation and the ending of that time in history.
This book focuses on the Bideford witches who were the last women in England to be hanged for being witches. Each woman of the three responded to the accusations against her uniquely and with varying degrees of success in their end goal.
However, as the book shows - years after these women's unfortunate deaths, they were used as an example to take back and repeal the witchcraft laws that were previously in place in England.
This book takes a very intriguing part of history and really narrows it down into a period of time and set of people that were crucial to both the continuation and the ending of that time in history.
September 28, 2021
John Callow's book was an interesting insight into (probably) the last three women to be found guilty of witchcraft in England. In more modern times, it might seem hard to believe that based on neighbours accusing the women of cursing them in various ways that they could end up being hanged. But these were different times and the lives of poor and single women were particularly vulnerable to false accusations.
The book also looks at why those accused of witchcraft sometimes confessed and also why the courts would sometimes choose to convict even if the evidence was rather weak. Callow explains the cultural and social context that enabled these miscarriages of justice and why over time, fortunately, the appetite to try and prosecute fell away.
The book also looks at why those accused of witchcraft sometimes confessed and also why the courts would sometimes choose to convict even if the evidence was rather weak. Callow explains the cultural and social context that enabled these miscarriages of justice and why over time, fortunately, the appetite to try and prosecute fell away.
September 2, 2021
“The Last Witches of England” paints a vivid picture of the climate of superstition that led to three unfortunate women in 17th century Bideford to be condemned as witches, seemingly due only to their poverty in a prosperous town. It’s hard to believe in our more enlightened times how a random magpie trying to steal a shiny object from a windowsill could lead to a witch-hunt, but these were different times indeed and John Callow’s diligently researched book tells the whole sorry story in a very readable way.
October 12, 2021
I always find hard to read about witch hunt and the women who were victim of that crazyness.
This is a well researched, engrossing and well written historical book that makes you understand what happened and what were the supposed causes.
An excellent read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
This is a well researched, engrossing and well written historical book that makes you understand what happened and what were the supposed causes.
An excellent read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
August 26, 2021
The Last Witches of England by John Callow.
A very interesting , well researched title. I enjoyed reading the book that gave us the history of these poor women who died as a result of a whim and the bad omen of a magpie trying to gain entry into a house.
A truly terrible time.
A very interesting , well researched title. I enjoyed reading the book that gave us the history of these poor women who died as a result of a whim and the bad omen of a magpie trying to gain entry into a house.
A truly terrible time.
October 23, 2021
Fascinating and detailed look into the people, places and events that took place around the time that the last 'witches' in England were hung.
This is a great in depth study that will never make you look at villages in the same way again.
This is a great in depth study that will never make you look at villages in the same way again.
May 29, 2022
This is a non-fiction and history classification. Very interesting if you want to read about the history of witches. The author is wonderful.
October 16, 2022
For such an interesting topic, this book was so boring in parts. Kinda disappointing
October 20, 2021
The extensive research that has gone into producing this book is excellent and the author details the religious, socio-economic and political background which existed in the community at this time.
For my full review please visit my blog at:https://leftontheshelfbookblog.blogsp...
For my full review please visit my blog at:https://leftontheshelfbookblog.blogsp...
December 12, 2021
This incredibly interesting and painstakingly researched work tells the account of three poor women of Bideford who met an undeserved fate as a result of the social and cultural rhetoric of the times, which manifested itself in widespread fear, suspicion, ignorance, superstition and religious fervour.
This is not a superficial investigation of demonic pacts but rather a truly multi-dimensional work that offers substantial insight into society as a whole including (Atlantic) trade routes, conflict, plagues and commerce. The mis-characterization and discrimination of these ‘cunning women’ was made possible by appealing to the base instincts of the masses. The book shines a light on these practices and pulls back the veil on an irrational, violent, and demeaning ‘belief’ that has surprisingly gained traction within even contemporary educated circles.
My thanks to Bloomsbury Academic and NetGalley for granting me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is not a superficial investigation of demonic pacts but rather a truly multi-dimensional work that offers substantial insight into society as a whole including (Atlantic) trade routes, conflict, plagues and commerce. The mis-characterization and discrimination of these ‘cunning women’ was made possible by appealing to the base instincts of the masses. The book shines a light on these practices and pulls back the veil on an irrational, violent, and demeaning ‘belief’ that has surprisingly gained traction within even contemporary educated circles.
My thanks to Bloomsbury Academic and NetGalley for granting me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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