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The witch of pungo
The authoritative cultural history of Virginia’s most famous accused witch
In 1706, Grace Sherwood was “ducked” after her neighbors in Princess Anne County accused her of witchcraft. Binding and throwing her into the Lynnhaven River, they waited to see whether she would float to the top (evidence of her guilt) or sink (proof of her innocence). Incredibly, she survived. This bizarre spectacle became an early piece of Virginia folklore as stories about Sherwood, the “Witch of Pungo,” spread. Her legend still looms large in Tidewater. In 2006, Governor Tim Kaine even issued an informal pardon of Sherwood, read aloud by the mayor of Virginia Beach before the annual reenactment of Sherwood’s ducking.
This is the first book to explore Grace Sherwood’s life and cultural impact in depth. Anyone interested in colonial Virginia, American folklore, and the history and legacy of witch trials will find much to enjoy in this spellbinding book.
- Summary
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The authoritative cultural history of Virginia’s most famous accused witch
In 1706, Grace Sherwood was “ducked” after her neighbors in Princess Anne County accused her of witchcraft. Binding and throwing her into the Lynnhaven River, they waited to see whether she would float to the top (evidence of her guilt) or sink (proof of her innocence). Incredibly, she survived. This bizarre spectacle became an early piece of Virginia folklore as stories about Sherwood, the “Witch of Pungo,” spread. Her legend still looms large in Tidewater. In 2006, Governor Tim Kaine even issued an informal pardon of Sherwood, read aloud by the mayor of Virginia Beach before the annual reenactment of Sherwood’s ducking.
This is the first book to explore Grace Sherwood’s life and cultural impact in depth. Anyone interested in colonial Virginia, American folklore, and the history and legacy of witch trials will find much to enjoy in this spellbinding book.
Spooky Rare Book Spotlight: “The Witch of Pungo” by Louisa Venable Kyle
If you have lived, visited, or grown up in Virginia Beach like I did, then you are probably familiar with the infamous Witchduck Road. The road was named after the site of the last “witch ducking” that took place in Virginia in 1706. According to historians, local townspeople were searching for answers as to why their crops were dying and, as was fashionable at the time, they blamed women. They were particularly suspicious of the farmer’s wife Grace Sherwood, who dared to wear trousers, worked as a midwife, and knew a little too much about the healing power or herbs. Neighbors accused Grace of bewitching their pigs and cotton crops, and even flying through a keyhole in the black of night! A judge agreed with Grace’s accusers and ordered her to be tried by ducking. On July 10th, 1706 Grace was bound by her toes and thumbs, and dropped into the Lynnhaven River. The judge decreed that if she drowned she would die an innocent woman, but if she survived, it was because she was a witch. Luckily, Grace managed to escape her bonds and swam to shore, but shortly thereafter was imprisoned for witchcraft. After approximately 7 long years in jail she was released and returned to her three sons, and eventually died at the age of 80 on her farm in Pungo (now a part of Virginia Beach) in 1740. Go Grace!
A statue depicting her was erected near Sentara Independence on Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach, close to the site of the colonial courthouse where she was tried. The statue depicts Grace standing near a raccoon and holding herbs, which represent her love of animals and her nursing skills.
As a child, I struggled to understand that there was a time in history where innocent women were blamed for society’s ills and drowned just to prove their innocence. I still struggle with that thought, but I am pleased to see that Grace Sherwood’s legacy has been preserved in the Sherwood Trail, including Witchduck Road and other landmarks in Virginia Beach. Her legacy has also been preserved in many stories, books, and news articles, including a children’s book by author Louisa Venable Kyle.
The Witch of Pungo and Other Historical Stories of the Early Colonies by Louisa Venable Kyle, ODU Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives Rare Book Collection
Born in Norfolk, Louisa Venable Kyle studied at Mary Baldwin Seminary and graduated from Lasell Seminary. She wrote for the Virginian-Pilot and The Portsmouth Star and was one of the founding members of the Princess Anne County Historical Society. Her children’s book The Witch of Pungo and Other Historical Stories of the Early Colonies is based on seven folktales from Princess Anne County, including the tale of Grace Sherwood. The book was published in 1973 by Printcraft Press, Portsmouth, Virginia, and was reissued in 1978 and 1988 by Four O’Clock Farms Publishing Company.
The Witch of Pungo author’s signatureODU’s Special Collections and University Archives is fortunate to have a rare, autographed hardcopy of The Witch of Pungo. The books is in great condition with a vibrant orange color, and features a wonderful collection of illustrations and short historical essays related to each folktale. I am so pleased that we can keep the legacies of both Grace Sherwood and Louisa Venable Kyle alive and well by sharing this book with our students, faculty, and community members. It’s incredible to think that we have so much important history here in Hampton Roads, and I am glad authors like Kyle have kept those stories alive for future generations.
“Louisa Venable Kyle”. The Virginian-Pilot. October 25, 1999. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
“Grace Sherwood (ca. 1660–1740)”. The Associated Press. 9 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
Grace Sherwood (ca. 1660–1740)”. Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
RoadsideAmerica.com: Virginia Beach, Virginia: Witch of Pungo Statue
Further reading:
“The Virginia Case of Grace Sherwood, 1706.” In Narratives of the New England Witchcraft Cases, ed. George Lincoln Burr, 433–442. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 2002.Davis, Richard Beale.
“The Devil in Virginia in the Seventeenth Century.” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 65 (April 1957): 131–149.Gibson, Marion.
Witchcraft Myths in American Culture. New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007.Kyle, Louisa Venable. The Witch of Pungo and Other Historical Stories of the Early Colonies. Portsmouth, Virginia: Printcraft Press, 1973.
Grace Sherwood: The “Witch” of Pungo
Those traveling through Virginia Beach, Virginia will likely find themselves driving along one of the town’s most well-traveled streets: Witchduck Road. The name is peculiar, seemingly out of place surrounded by more familiar names such as Independence Boulevard and Donation Drive. The history of this name carries a legacy dating back hundreds of years and represents one of the state’s darkest hours.
Grace White was born in 1660 in the Colony of Virginia, likely within the small town of Pungo, to a Scottish father and English mother. There is little information available concerning her upbringing, and in the spring of 1680 she married a farmer, James Sherwood, and the couple went on to have three sons. The Sherwood family was poor despite owning over one-hundred acres of land, and primarily lived amongst other small land-owning families. Grace herself worked her family’s farm land, grew her own herbs to care for both people and animals, and also acted as a midwife for women of the surrounding area. Surviving records paint the woman as attractive, stubborn, and a non-conformist who wore pants when she worked, spoke up for herself, and cared deeply for animals.
In 1697, the first accusation of witchcraft against Sherwood came when a local man accused her of using a spell to kill his bull. The court made no decision and, in turn, Grace sued for defamation with this case being resolved through a settlement. The following year, she was accused of witchcraft two more times by two separate individuals. A neighbor first complained to the court that his pigs and cotton were placed under a spell and destroyed, while another neighbor said her home was invaded when Sherwood transformed into the body of a black cat while proceeding to beat her and whip her. Both cases remained unresolved, and once again a defamation charge was brought against each party; this time without resolution. Grace and her husband were forced to pay for their court costs after each failed defamation case, further sending the family into debt. In 1701, James passed away with his wife inheriting all of his property and losing her greatest ally.
Throughout her life, Sherwood found herself embroiled in at least a dozen legal cases ranging from accusations of witchcraft to assault. In 1705, after a fight with her neighbor, Elizabeth Hill, another lawsuit was brought for assault and battery with Hill and her husband having to pay twenty shillings. As the reason behind this fight is lost to history, only speculation remains. There is, however, no doubt that this earlier conflict likely fueled the accusation of witchcraft against Sherwood the following year. Hill formally accused her rival on January 3, 1706, claiming that Sherwood bewitched her and caused her to have a miscarriage. The Princess Anne County court system sought to create two all-women jury panels to perform a search of the Sherwood family home and a physical examination of Grace herself. Great reluctance from residents made the formation of these panels difficult and both times the unwilling groups refused to carry out the searches. After nearly two months of deliberation, on March 7, a group of twelve elderly women led by previous accuser Elizabeth Barnes, were appointed to conduct the physical examination. The result of their investigation concluded the existence of two “witch’s marks” and thus, tangible proof of The Devil at work.
The Sheriff of Princess Anne County took Sherwood into custody following a decision by the county justices in May that stated the allegations against her were of great suspicion. On July 5, with Sherwood’s consent, these same justices ordered a trial by ducking to take place. When asked to repent for being a witch after being brought to Lynnhaven Parish Church, Grace Sherwood claimed “I be not a witch. I be a healer.” In the early morning of July 10, she was taken down a dirt street, now known as Witchduck Road, to the shores of the Lynnhaven River where the infamous ducking would take place. The theory behind trial by water states that if a soul is pure they will sink, while a witch or other corrupted individual will float as water will reject the unclean and unworthy. Under these guidelines, Sherwood was bound right thumb to left big toe, left thumb to right big toe, covered in a sack, and then weighed down with a thirteen pound Bible strapped to her neck. Spectators gathered to watch the event unfold and lined the riverbank to see what would befall the alleged Witch of Pungo. Miraculously, despite being tied and weighed down, Grace Sherwood was able to free herself and swim to shore. Although she escaped the ordeal with her life, this all but proved her guilt to the colonial authorities and those in attendance.
Many court records following the ducking have been lost so there is little information surrounding the details of her subsequent imprisonment. What is known for certain is that Sherwood spent nearly eight years in jail and was further ordered to pay another neighbor for six-hundred pounds of tobacco. The reason for this order is lost, as is the knowledge of if the payment was ever completed, but this verdict came several years into her imprisonment. In 1714, records show that she completed payment on back taxes for her property which indicates her release came either that year or shortly before. She spent the remainder of her life living on the family farm until she passed away at age eighty in 1740.
Governor Tim Kaine restored Grace Sherwood’s name with an informal pardon on July 10, 2006; the 300th anniversary of her ducking.
Sources
Gambony, G. (2021). Open Channel: The legacy of Grace Sherwood, the alleged “Witch of Pungo.” WHRO Public Media. Retrieved from:
Newman, L. (2009). “Under an Ill Tongue:” Witchcraft and Religion in Seventeenth-Century Virginia. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Retrieved from:
Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Grace Sherwood: The “Witch of Pungo.” Virginia Historical Society. Retrieved from:
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