Scarborough Witch
The History behind the Scarborough ‘Witch’
Scarborough and other Yorkshire locations have a history connected to witches and witchcraft.
In 1604, the Act Against Witchcraft (official title: An Act against Conjuration, Witchcraft and dealing with evil and wicket Spirits) was passed when James I was king.
He ascended to the throne after Elizabeth I in 1603.
The law made it an offence to use witchcraft, rob graves and find hidden treasure, among other things.
You can see the transcript here.
The so-called witch craze in England during the 1600s is a dark period in our history.
Women were most likely to be ‘accused’ of witchcraft, partly due to religious teaching that females were weak and would readily succumb to the power of the Devil.
Men were also accused, although this is a rare occurrence.
The Accused
When a person is accused of witchcraft, an indictment is drawn up.
Witnesses would be called.
An examination of the accused would take place.
Sometimes, a confession would be ‘extracted’ from the accused.
Those found guilty were executed.
Scarborough Witch
There are infamous instances of witchcraft: the Pendle Witches for example.
Cases occurred throughout Yorkshire and Northern England, including in Scarborough.
In 1652, one such case is that of Anne Hunman.
She is also known as Anne Marchant or Anne Merchant.
Anne is accused of ‘bewitching’ Frances, the young daughter of John and Anne Allen.
Witnesses were Marjery Ffish and Mary Weston.
Marjery states that Frances, on seeing Anne would experience the following: “ … the eyes drawne wide open and the young rite out of the mouth … looks black and the head draws to one side … “
Marjery states the child had six fits in a short time so Marjery feels the child is bewitched.
The witnesses gave verbal statements at a quarter session of the town’s courts.
They claimed that a local lady Elizabeth Hodgson, who reputedly could use charms against witchcraft, employed ‘counter measures’, and claimed Anne Hunman was to blame for the young child’s affliction.
You can read the full transcripts here:
Search for Witch’s Marks
Anne was arrested and the bailiff ordered three local women – Marjery, Elizabeth Jackson and Elizabeth Dale – to search Anne’s body for witch’s marks.
These could be physical blemishes: birthmarks, moles, warts or even extra nipples (today we understand these occur organically).
If marks were found then witch pricking could take place: if the blemish was unresponsive to pain or bleeding, then this was deemed suspicious.
The archives of Anne’s trial reveal she had something on her left buttock (perhaps a wart or similar).
Anne didn’t feel pain when it was pricked.
Margery states: “Anne Hunman never moved nor seemed to feele itt”.
Anne Denies the Charges
Anne denies the charges in August 1652.
Then, in a strange turnaround, the bailiff turns against Elizabeth Hodgson, one of Anne’s accusers.
The court records following this do not exist today but it is thought Anne was acquitted.
Pocklington Witches
The market town of Pocklington in East Yorkshire also experienced witchcraft.
Today it is a thriving place and picturesque, the Yorkshire Wolds on its doorstep.
The town has connections to several witches includes Isabella Billington.
Isabella was accused of witchcraft and was both hanged and burned in the 1649.
In this instance, while witchcraft may not have been the cause, Isabella, along with her husband, crucified her mother and then carried out some rituals.
The couple were imprisoned at York Castle, and sentenced to death.
On the day of execution, the mob blocked Castlegate, and followed the prisoners through Micklegate Moors and onto the Knavesmire, where the executions took place.
In 1630, Old Wife Green was burned as a witch in the Market Square.
There are no records that there was even a trial.
She was the last woman to be burned in England as a witch.
In 1642, Petronella Haxley, wife of a blacksmith, was hanged in the market place.
Again, records are scant, and this may have been an ‘official execution’; if it was it was surprising that the execution wasn’t carried out in York.
Today you can follow the route in York from Mickelgate Bar to the Knavesmire, where today York Racecourse is located.
You can imagine the fear, the noise and the hysteria: today, elegant houses and businesses line the route, which is also busy with road traffic.
William James Clarke Collection
William James Clarke (1868 to 1945), a local man, was a founder member of the Scarborough Field Naturalists, and remained a committee member until 1943.
He owned a shop in Huntriss Row (number 44) selling natural history specimens and other items.
William also developed a fascination with folklore and his collection includes the notion of witchcraft and its various related ‘charms.’
He kept records of folklore around the UK including instances of witchcraft, and you can read the full article here:
Items in Clarke’s collection includes a witch bottle, a seagull heart, hag stones and more.
The collection was donated to Scarborough Borough Council in 1946.
It includes maritime folklore artefacts which seafarers used over the years.
Witchcraft and Ryedale Folk Museum
This stunning museum located at Hutton Le Hole, Ryedale in the North York Moors National Park, is an immersive experience for visitors.
The location includes ‘a hovel fit for witches’.
The museum’s collection includes three spell tokens, which today are seen as love tokens.
They date from the early to mid-eighteenth century.
You can read about local witches from Goathland, Rosedale and Cropton.
The museum includes three wooden witch posts, sometimes referred to as heck posts.
Witches Bottles in Whitby
Whitby is wreathed in folklore and taking a walk along its cobbled streets means you can feel the history of this busy port.
A recent discovery in the Riviera Guesthouse refers to witches bottles and their mythology.
Read more here:
You can also read more about Scarborough and its fascinating history here.
Further Reading:
Yorkshire Witches by Eileen Rennison, Amberley
The Trials of the Lancashire Witches: A Study of Seventeenth Century Witchcraft, Edgar Peel and Pat Southern, David & Charles