showing that people of the time blamed natural disasters on witches and witchcraft, and they thought that they could prevent such disasters if they got got rid of people thought to be witches. Tudor Crime and Punishment - The Crimes of Royalty and Nobles. In my research on witches and witchcraft it became obvious to me that allegations of witchcraft could be used by the church to control or get rid of people whose beliefs did not fit in with accepted religious beliefs, by communities to get rid of people who were causing arguments and conflicts, or by husbands to rid themselves of annoying wives. A common way was to use a ducking stool, or just to tie them up, and duck the accused under water in a pond or river. Happy Halloween, Tudor Enthusiasts! Like the 1563 statute, it made the use of witchcraft to find treasure or lost or stolen goods; the use of witchcraft with intent to provoke a person to unlawful love; and the use of witchcraft with the intent to harm someone punishable by one year in prison and four quarterly pillory sessions, but it made all of these offenses punishable by death without benefit of clergy or sanctuary on a second offense. Even today witchcraft is seen as something stupid and dangerous by most people, thank to prejudices but to the attitudes if some witches, like the one your pastor met, Claire. Other books you might enjoy on the topic include the seminal ” Witchcraft in Tudor and Stuart England: A Regional and Comparative Study” by Alan MacFarlane, “The Witches of Warboys” by Philip C. Almond (Elizabethan), Sharpe’s “Instruments of Darkness”, and Godbeer’s “Escaping Salem”. THX. A cunning woman being sent for by churchwardens in Thatcham, Berkshire, in 1583 to find the thief who stole the communion cloth from the church. In July 1589, three ‘notorious witches’ were hanged … I’d really like to become one too, feeling affinities with all the aspects of Wicca; but I really don’t know how to get “initiated”. Dressed to keep the evils away and,I highly dout it poor, Queen Anne was not a witch anymore then the King was a worelock,or maybe he was?Good to here from AB Friends and most of all Claire. A great article on the UK’s Channel 4 website, entitled “Time Traveller’s Guide to Tudor England” talks about how modern science was in its infancy in the 16th century, as was medicine, and it was natural for people to rely on old-fashioned beliefs and astrology to explain the world and to use potions, charms, amulets and horoscopes to cure ills, for protection and to deal with problems. If you were an owner of a cat, you we're more likely to be considered a Witch. You may recall we often hear Royalty kept pets such as dogs and monkeys...but never cats! “Witch Trials in Early Modern Europe” cites statistics from Ronald Hutton, author of “Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles” and states that over a 250 year period 228 executions for witchcraft were recorded but it is thought that the actual figure could be anywhere between 300 and 1,000. It all seems very weird looking back on it with our twenty-first century eyes but who are we to judge. Witch’s Marks . Charms could be purchased from wise men or women to ward off evil, to bring good luck, to cure illness, to prevent drunkenness, to find lost property, to get rid of vermin, to get children to sleep, to make someone fall in love with you, to determine the sex of a baby, to put out fires and all other manner of things. Hanging was the usual punishment for serious crime, including murder, in Tudor England but it could often be a messy affair. Insertions were made in the crossbar of T for the hands and head to be placed. Did Anne Stanhope, Edward Seymour’s wife, really have scandalous affairs? Punishment for Witchcraft. In some countries outside of Europe, witches were stoned to death. Under torture, the European witch typically confessed to having intercourse with the Devil and suckling demons at her breast. Tudor Punishments. Happy birthday to me and presents for you! Claire,Great rersearch on witches lests not for get worelocks to back 500 year,was a geat read!Wish we could of had a halloween contest , maybe next year? A scold's bridle, sometimes called a witch's bridle, a brank's bridle, or simply branks, was an instrument of punishment, as a form of torture and public humiliation. Renee Smeaton-Woolsey- Burgess. THX Baroness.x. In the real Wicca, you musn’t harm anybody, but there are black magie adepts and satanist who give “good” witches bad reputation. Although witch persecutions were not really in effect until 1563, the use of witchcraft had been deemed as heresy by Pope Innocent VIII in 1484. This coin was originally issued by Edward IV in the 1460s and featured on their face the Archangel St Michael trampling on a dragon’s head. Thanks for another great article, Claire. list below are some of the torturing method. Very true, Melissa, I read a book years ago by Audrey Harper, “Dance with the Devil”, about her life as a witch in Surrey, England and how she turned away from it to Christianity. Whereas a village may have punished an individual in the past, now the Christian witch theory demanded that more be found within one locality.