Witchcraft has been an intriguing and controversial subject throughout history. It is a practice that revolves around magic, spells, and supernatural powers. One such notable event in the history of witchcraft is the Witchcraft Writtle. Writtle is a village located in England, and in the early 17th century, it became the center of a witchcraft trial. The Writtle witchcraft case took place in 1589 and involved several women accused of practicing witchcraft. The accusations began when a woman named Agnes Waterhouse, known as the "Witch of Writtle," was accused of using witchcraft to murder people and cause harm to others.

The Essex pond that's said to be haunted by infamous Witchhunter General Matthew Hopkins

Essex is well-known for being the county where many women were tried of being 'witches'. Between 1570 and 1609, 53 Essex 'witches' were hanged against a total of 64 executions across all the home counties - many of which were prosecuted by the infamous witchfinder general, Matthew Hopkins from Mistley.

Many of the women – the first being Agnes Waterhouse - were executed in Chelmsford. Waterhouse, from Hatfield Peverel, was the first woman executed for witchcraft in England when she was hanged on July 29 1566 two days after being tried in front of where Shire Hall now stands.

The site of her death lies on the road leading towards Writtle. Waterhouse, along with Joan Waterhouse, and Elizabeth Francis were the first of nine women - plus one man - from Hatfield Peverel prosecuted as witches between 1566 and 1589. And in 1582, 14 women from St Osyth were accused of witchcraft.

After a trial in Chelmsford Ursula Kemp and Elizabeth Bennet were found guilty and hanged. The others received a mixture of acquittals, discharges and reprieves.

Many of the convictions were down to Matthew Hopkins, who was an English witch-hunter whose career flourished during the English Civil War. He claimed to hold the office of Witchfinder General, although that title was never bestowed by Parliament, and was mainly active in East Anglia.

Matthew Hopkins died at his home in Manningtree, Essex, on August 12, 1647, probably of pleural tuberculosis. He was buried a few hours after his death in the graveyard of the Church of St Mary at Mistley Heath.

His ghost is said to appear dressed in full 17th-century costume at full moon by the village pond, a scene of many of his witch trials.

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Heritage Writtle

The accusations began when a woman named Agnes Waterhouse, known as the "Witch of Writtle," was accused of using witchcraft to murder people and cause harm to others. One of Agnes' alleged victims was a young girl named Elizabeth, who claimed to have been bewitched by her. Agnes was eventually arrested and taken to trial.

Writtle 2014 Higher Education Field Academy (HEFA)

Writtle was under a thick blanket of snow this time last year but both the sun and the daffodils were out in the Essex village this week for the start of ACA’s tenth season of field academies.

Thirty-four Year 9 students and six Year 13 students from William de Ferrers School, Ormiston Rivers Academy, The Plume School and King Edward VI Grammar School attended the first Higher Education Field Academy (HEFA) of 2014. Divided into small mixed-school groups, they dug nine archaeological test-pits over two days around the village centre of Writtle in the back gardens of residents and of local businesses including Witchcraft Jewellery, Lyndsey Hair Stylist and the Blue Bridge Bar & Restaurant. Another two test-pits were also dug on the western edge of the green by members of the local historical and archaeological society, Heritage Writtle, who recruited sites to excavate and arranged for use of the United Reformed Church as a base for the two days of digging.

Freelance archaeologist John Newman joined us on the second day to identify the small finds and date the pottery which had been found. In the garden of the Blue Bridge Bar & Restaurant, test-pit 5 found a sherd of Late Saxon pottery (shown held by a student in the photograph below) making it only the third test-pit out of 55 dug in the village since 2009 to contain pottery of this date. Test-pits 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10 all produced small quantities of High Medieval pottery, and notable amongst the small finds were a Post-Medieval bone button from test-pit 6 off Bridge Street and a 16th century Nuremburg jetton test-pit 10, one of those dug by Heritage Writtle on the village green. A map of the test-pit sites can be viewed on the Writtle 2014 webpage here, and the pottery report will be available in a couple of weeks.

On the third day of HEFA, participants visit the University of Cambridge to learn about how their test-pit findings contribute towards the research of ACA Director, Dr Carenza Lewis, on the origins and development of Currently Occupied Rural Settlements (CORS), and for a taster of life and learning at one of the world’s top universities. In feedback after the event, one student recognised that he had gained both “an insight into how university works and also how the data we collected influenced information on medieval settlements” (JT). Staff also complemented the way in which HEFA offers school students the “excitement of participating, contributing and advancing knowledge” (TB).

The Writtle HEFA participants visited one of Emmanuel, King’s, St Catharine’s and Sidney Sussex Colleges to meet schools liaison staff and undergraduate students for lunch and a tour. Lizzie Dobson, Schools Liaison Officer for Emmanuel College, which is linked to schools in Essex, then talked about university applications and the admissions process to the group. Following the encouragement to aim high and work hard, one student said that the HEFA had taught her “to be more optimistic and try harder to achieve my goals” (LMH).

In feedback after the event, 85% of the students rated it as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ and many of them said that the field academy offered “not just knowledge of archaeology but life skills that will be useful in the future” (HN).

Many thanks to everyone involved in the organisation and delivery of the Writtle 2014 HEFA; next week’s field academy will be a return visit to the east Norfolk village of Acle.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. If you use this content on your site please link back to this page.

In a recent internet deep-dive in search of social media inspiration, we came across a recurring statement declaring Agnes Waterhouse, a local Essex woman, as the first person executed for witchcraft in England in 1566. Marion Gibson, currently a professor at Exeter University, has kindly written this blog post for us, to tell us a little bit more about Agnes and why these claims about her are actually fake news.

Agnes Waterhouse was a widow from the village of Hatfield Peverel who was tried in Chelmsford for witchcraft in the summer of 1566. It’s as a witchcraft suspect that her name appears on a list of accused felons held by the Essex Record Office, among the Quarter Sessions rolls.

Q/SR 19/5 – Quarter Session Roll from 1566 which lists Agnes Waterhouse, Joan Waterhouse, and Elizabeth Frances as felons suspected of witchcraft from Hatfield Peverel

A “felony” was a serious crime, punishable by death, and the group of suspected felons who included Agnes passed through the lower court of Quarter Sessions in 1566 on their way to the higher court of the Assizes. There they would be tried and sentenced.

Agnes was going to the Midsummer Assizes, held in the hot months when England’s top judges got out of London and had time to sit in judgement over suspected provincial criminals. In Chelmsford the Assizes were held in the Market Cross House, which stood just in front of the present-day Shire Hall. The Essex historian Hilda Grieve describes it as:

‘an open-sided building, with eight oak columns supporting upper galleries and a tiled roof. The galleries, which overlooked the open “piazza” below, were lit by three dormer windows in the roof… the magistrates and justices sat in open court, which measured only 26 feet by 24 feet, with the officers of the law, counsel and clerks, plaintiffs and defendants, jurors, sureties, witnesses and prisoners, before and around them, while spectators, hangers-on, and those awaiting their turn, crowded into the galleries above or thronged the street outside.’

The Market Cross House was an unsatisfactory courtroom – packed, noisy and horribly public – but it was Agnes’ destination in summer 1566 after she had been accused as a witch.

Witchcraft was a crime that came to Assize courts regularly, but only after a new Witchcraft Act had been passed by Parliament in 1563. The new Act stated that witches who were convicted of lesser offences – like making farm animals sick – would be punished with one year in prison. Witches who were convicted of killing a person, however, were to be hanged.

Agnes was accused of murder by witchcraft, for which she would be executed if she was found guilty. She was said to have killed her neighbour William Fynee. When questioned, she also admitted harming pigs, cows and geese in her village. Eventually she said she had murdered her own husband in 1557 because they lived “somewhat unquietly” together; it is possible that this confession was drawn out, in part, by some guilt she may have felt over relief at his death and the relative freedom that widowhood granted her.

Agnes also confessed to owning a demonic spirit in the form of a pet cat called Sathan, given to her by her sister Elizabeth Fraunces, and this cat had killed her husband and done all the harm of which Agnes stood accused.

Elizabeth Fraunces and also Agnes’ daughter Joan were accused of witchcraft alongside her. Joan was just eighteen years old. She was accused of bewitching another teenager, the Waterhouse’s neighbour Agnes Browne. Joan and her mother, twelve year old Agnes Browne told the court, had sent a black dog to torment her. It brought her the key to the Browne family’s dairy and stole or damaged some of their butter. More seriously, the dog tempted Agnes Browne to suicide by bringing her a knife. He told her this was “his sweet dame’s knife” and when he was asked who this was, Agnes Browne said “he wagged his head to your house, mother Waterhouse”. As well as being a talking dog, this demonic tempter had a monkey’s face and a whistle hung around his neck: a strange beast to see trotting around Hatfield Peverel!

Agnes Waterhouse told Agnes Browne that she was making this story up: “thou liest” she told the girl stoutly. She added that she didn’t even own a dagger. It sounds as though Agnes Waterhouse was in court facing down Agnes Browne – and this account of the trial may be true. But Agnes Waterhouse didn’t need to confront Agnes Browne. She had in fact already pleaded guilty to witchcraft. Most accused felons fought for their lives by pleading “not guilty” but Agnes Waterhouse didn’t. Why did Agnes plead guilty, and why was she still fighting on in the courtroom after she had confessed? The answer is probably Joan. By pleading guilty and then standing beside her daughter to take the blame perhaps Agnes hoped to save Joan from execution.

A woodcutting, supposedly of Agnes Waterhouse, from a 1566 pamphlet of the trial.

The case made what we would now think of as “headlines”. Someone gave the statements of the accused witches to a London publisher, who added an eyewitness account of the courtroom scenes, a couple of very bad poems and a description of Agnes’ execution. Yes, that was her fate, and 29 th July is the anniversary of her death. Agnes Waterhouse was executed with the other felons convicted at the Assizes, hanged in front of a crowd gathered at the gallows in Chelmsford. The site of her death lies on the road leading towards Writtle.

It was a sad end to Agnes’ life, but it was a golden opportunity for journalists. The publisher rushed out a booklet about the case and even added a portrait of Agnes to his story, a woodcut print labelled in blackletter font and showing a woman looking oddly pious, with her hand upraised in blessing. There’s a good reason for this mismatch between story and woodcut.

The picture isn’t actually of Agnes at all. It was just a woodcut from the publisher’s stockroom, with space in the label to insert metal blocks of type. In this way the publisher could give any name to the woman depicted. Witches were usually women, this was a picture of a woman: that would do.

This bit of fake news isn’t the only myth to get stuck to Agnes over the course of the last four hundred and fifty years, however. She’s routinely described as the first witch to be executed for witchcraft in England. In fact, witches had been being executed in England and the wider British Isles for centuries, often because they were judged under laws concerning treason or heresy. Examples include Petronilla de Meath from County Meath, who was executed in 1324 and Margery Jourdemayne from Eye in Suffolk, who was executed in 1441. Both women were burned at the stake. But it is true that Agnes is the first media superstar of the age when witch-hunting got serious in England. She’s a “first witch” because she’s the first witch we know about from a printed news story. In the sixteenth century, that was extraordinary fame.

We should remember Agnes on the anniversary of her execution. She died surrounded by her enemies, likely jeering and jostling for a better view, but she died knowing that her daughter Joan had been acquitted, just as Agnes had hoped.

All the details of the case are taken from the news pamphlet ‘The Examination and Confession of Certaine Wytches at Chensforde in the Countie of Essex (1566)’.

You can read more about Agnes, including the whole text of this pamphlet, in Marion Gibson, ‘Early Modern Witches’ (London: Routledge, 2000)

In the meantime, St Andrews Church in Hatfield Peverel is probably the closest glimpse we can get of the Hatfield Peverel that Agnes knew.

Much of the building dates to the 19 th century restoration, but the nave and central tower arch from the original 12 th century priory still remain and Agnes would have looked on these features much as we do now, as an enduring memento of history. (Photo by Fred Spalding c.1940)

Looking for witches in St Osyth

I’ve recently been at the Essex Record Office looking for evidence that will help me tell the story of the “St Osyth” witches of 1582 in a new book. I say “St Osyth” in inverted commas because although the witchcraft accusations that engulfed north-east Essex in 1582 started in St Osyth, in fact there is far more evidence of their impact on surrounding communities than there is on the village itself.

In February 1582, a servant of Lord Darcy at St Osyth Priory complained that her small son was being attacked by witchcraft. Once she had accused a neighbour, Ursley Kemp, and Ursley had confessed to witchcraft then more people came forward to make accusations. More villages in the manors and parishes controlled by the Darcy family – Little Oakley, Beaumont, Moze, Thorpe and Walton le Soken, Little Clacton and others – were drawn in. At least two people were executed and four others died in prison, with multiple other imprisonments too. One woman was released as late as 1588.

This story has fascinated me since I read it as a student over 20 years ago. But there are few surviving records from St Osyth. The Priory was attacked during the Civil War and its estate and parish records were likely lost then – an epic frustration for historians. But the records of the other witch-accusing communities and authorities were more fortunate. Among these is today’s focus: a record of Elizabethan visitations made by the Colchester ecclesiastical authorities to the parishes around St Osyth.

St Osyth itself answered to the Commissary Court of the Bishop of London and, guess what, the Commissary’s early records are lost (you might almost think St Osyth’s documents were cursed…!) but the ecclesiastical team from Colchester visited most of the other witch-rich villages. In each place, they recorded the names of the minister and Churchwardens. And today I found the names of some of the accusers of the 1582 witches and learned that they were Churchwardens too.

Here’s a nice clear link between parish authorities and witch accusations. It’s easy to suppose that religious-reforming folk went after suspected witches but it’s important not to stereotype accusers: they can’t be dismissed as just “fanatical puritans” or “Anglican worthies”. But in this case there’s some documentary evidence that they were the community’s religious leaders. It’s going to need more thinking about as I carry on researching the book.

Essex Record Office is one of the most impressive and friendliest archives in the UK, and it’s come up with the goods once again. Has your village got a hidden history of witchcraft? Were your ancestors accused? Or were they accusers? Are there still stories of witches in your community? So much more to discover.

Professor Marion Gibson – University of Exeter

History and horror: do you dare to meet the Witchfinder General?

This Hallowe’en, experience history and horror with a screening of 1968 cult horror classic Witchfinder General at the Essex Record Office on Friday 26th October, 6.30pm-9.00pm. The screening will be accompanied by a talk about the real history of witchcraft in Essex by bestselling novelist Syd Moore (tickets available here).

The film is set in East Anglia in 1645, and stars Vincent Price as the notorious self-appointed ‘Witchfinder General’ Matthew Hopkins, who claimed to have been given the right by parliament to interrogate and execute witches. The plot is a fictionalised account of Hopkins’s bloody exploits, and follows him and his assistant John Stearne (Robert Russell) as they visit village after village, torturing and executing suspected witches.

Vincent Price as Matthew Hopkins in Witchfinder General. Price was 56 when he played Hopkins, even though Hopkins was only in his 20s when he sparked a major witch panic in the 1640s. Image: British Film Institute

Interior scenes were filmed in converted aircraft hangars near Bury St Edmunds, and exterior scenes were filmed on locations including the Dunwich coast, Lavenham, Kentwell Hall, and Orford Castle.

The film is best known for its violence, despite being extensively cut by the British Board of Film Censors. It has divided audiences and critics alike, with some deploring its violent scenes, while others have championed it as an important part of British film history.

While Hopkins did exist and did indeed hunt suspected witches, the film departs from real history in several ways. Hopkins was the son of a Suffolk minister. Almost nothing is known of his early life, but by the winter of 1644-5 he was living in Manningtree in Essex. He came to believe that there were 7 or 8 witches living in the town; these and others were arrested and questioned, with Hopkins giving evidence against them. This sparked a trail of accusations, and eventualy 36 Essex women were tried for witchcraft at the Essex assizes in July 1645. Nineteen of them were executed. 9 died in prison, and 6 were still locked up in 1648. What Hopkins had started in Essex spread to Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, with at least 250 people tried as witches, and at least 100 executed.

Hopkins did not meet the violent end that he does in the film, but according to a contemporary account died slowly of consumption (tuberculosis) at his home in Essex in 1647. Price was 56 at the time that he played Hopkins, but in reality Hopkins was only in his 20s when he instigated the East Anglian witch hunts. The film’s biggest departure from reality, however, is its omission of court cases; in the film, Hopkins and Stearne subject their victims to summary executions, but in reality suspected witches were arrested and tried.

Burial record of Matthew Hopkins in the Manningtree and Mistley parish register, recording his death in August 1647, two years after he began pursuing witches (Essex Record Office). The text reads:
Mathew Hopkins sone of Mr James Hopkins Minister of Wenha[m] was buryed at Mistley August 12th 1647

Here are all the details if you want to join us for horror and history this Hallowe’en:

Date and time: Friday 26 October, 6.30pm-9.00pm

Location: Essex Record Office, Wharf Road, Chelmsford, CM2 6YT

Film length: 86m

Rating: The film is rated 18 as it contains strong violence and execution scenes. If you are lucky enough to look under 18 we will ask to see proof of your age on the door

Tickets: £10

Booking: Please book online at www.essexrecordoffice.co.uk/events

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During the trial, Elizabeth testified against Agnes, claiming that the accused witch had given her a witch's mark that caused her pain and illness. Other witnesses came forward, accusing Agnes of causing livestock deaths and other misfortunes through her witchcraft practices. Agnes was ultimately found guilty and was executed by hanging. This marked the first recorded execution for witchcraft in Essex. The Witchcraft Writtle case sparked a wave of witch-hunting and trials in England. It contributed to the prevailing belief in witchcraft during that time, as people became increasingly fearful of witches and their supposed powers. The trial shed light on the superstitious nature of early modern society and highlights the hysteria surrounding witches during that era. However, it is important to note that the accusations of witchcraft were often based on hearsay, suspicion, and superstition. Many innocent people, mostly women, were unjustly persecuted and executed during this period in history. The Writtle case serves as a reminder of the injustices that occurred during the witch-hunting era. In conclusion, the Witchcraft Writtle trial was a significant event in the history of witchcraft. It highlighted the fear and hysteria surrounding witches during the early modern period in England. The trial and execution of Agnes Waterhouse showcased the superstitious nature of society at the time and the unfair treatment of individuals accused of witchcraft..

Reviews for "Witchcraft and Healing Practices in Writtle: Traditional Remedies and Charms"

1. Jane - 2 stars - I was very disappointed with "Witchcraft writtle". The book promised to explore the world of witchcraft in an intriguing and captivating way, but I found the writing to be dull and confusing. The characters were poorly developed, and it was difficult to connect with any of them. The plot lacked depth and was filled with clichés and predictable twists. Overall, it felt like a wasted opportunity to dive into the fascinating realm of witchcraft.

2. David - 1 star - "Witchcraft writtle" was a complete letdown. I had high hopes for an immersive and enchanting reading experience, but instead, it felt like a chore to get through. The writing style was unimaginative and lacked any real depth. The story was filled with inconsistencies and illogical choices made by the characters. It seemed like the author was trying to incorporate every cliché from witchcraft novels without adding anything new or original. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating witchcraft tale.

3. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really excited to read "Witchcraft writtle" but ended up feeling underwhelmed. The concept had so much potential, but the execution fell short. The pacing was sluggish, and it took a lot of effort to stay engaged with the story. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked any real personality. The climax was anticlimactic, and the resolution felt rushed. I was left feeling unsatisfied and not invested in the world of witchcraft that the author tried to create.

4. Mark - 2.5 stars - "Witchcraft writtle" was an average read for me. While it had its moments, overall, it failed to leave a lasting impression. The writing was decent, but the plot lacked originality and felt like a rehash of other witchcraft stories I have read before. The characters were forgettable, and their actions often felt forced or unrealistic. The world-building was also lacking, and I wanted more depth and detail. Overall, it was a mediocre addition to the genre of witchcraft fiction.

The Role of Writtle in the Witchcraft Revival: A Magical Renaissance