During the 16th and 17th centuries, religious tensions in England led to the introduction of severe penalties for witchcraft. Henry VIII’s Witchcraft Act 1541 was the first to define witchcraft, making it a crime punishable by death and within the jurisdiction of civil courts. In 1736, Parliament repealed the laws against witchcraft, but imposed fines or imprisonment on people who claimed to be able to use magical powers. The British parliament also repealed both the Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563 and the parallel English act.
In 2022, Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, issued an apology for the historic persecution and repealed the statute made in the first year of King James the First, intitutled, An Act against conjuration, witchcraft, and dealing with evil and wicked spirits. The 1562 and 1604 Acts transferred the trial of “witches” from the Church to ordinary courts. The 1735 Witchcraft Act moved witch trials away from church courts into ordinary courts.
The Witchcraft Act of 1735 was repealed in 1951, but it was actually a law against fraud by pretending to be a witch or attempting to be one. The Act resulted in a century and a half of witch hunts throughout Scotland. James I strengthened the act in 1604, who believed in witchcraft and gave more explicit attention to witches. Ironically, the Witchcraft Act of 1563 was passed in June, leading to a century and a half of witch hunts throughout Scotland.
📹 1971 Sorcery Act reviewed and said to be repealed
The country’s court system says the 1971 Sorcery Act is inappropriate because evidence to prove sorcery related incidences in …
Can you still be accused of witchcraft?
Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” was inspired by the 1950s Red hunt led by the House Committee on Un-American Activities and Joseph R. McCarthy, which accused people of being Communists and traitors with little or no evidence. Over 200 years after the Salem witch trials, McCarthy led a congressional “witch hunt”. Today, “witch hunts” still occur in the United States, but to determine what is and is not a “witch hunt”, one must appreciate the criteria for such a label. Essentially, a witch hunt must be devoid of persuasive evidence of any wrongdoing and instead rely solely on speculation and biases against those accused.
There are both legitimate criminal investigations and prosecutions based on factual evidence that are intentionally miscategorized and mislabeled as “witch hunts”. Merely repeatedly calling an investigation or a prosecution a “witch hunt” does not make the endeavor a baseless or biased accusation or proceeding. There is no legal defense in the judicial system that is entitled to or encompasses the “witch hunt” claim.
The law does recognize the constitutional claim of selective prosecution, which is not a defense on the merits to the criminal charge itself but an independent assertion that the prosecutor has brought the charge for reasons forbidden by the Constitution.
The law also recognizes the claim of vindictive prosecution, but this constitutional right does not mirror or otherwise encompass a “witch hunt” claim. A ceaseless chanting of the “witch hunt” mantra is not a basis for a vindictive prosecution claim, which requires evidence that the alleged perpetrator is being punished for doing what the law allows. “Spectral evidence”, such as claims supported by only dreams and visions, will not be admissible in courts of law, even though allowed at the Salem witch trials.
What is the sin of witchcraft in the Bible?
Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 19:26, Leviticus 20:27, and Deuteronomy 18:10-11 all prohibit the practice of necromancy, divination, and soothsaying. These laws are portrayed as foreign and are the only part of the Hebrew Bible to mention such practices. The presence of laws forbidding necromancy proves that it was practiced throughout Israel’s history.
The exact difference between the three forbidden forms of necromancy mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:11 is uncertain, as yidde’oni (“wizard”) is always used together with ob (“consulter with familiar spirits”) and its semantic similarity to doresh el ha-metim (“necromancer” or “one who directs inquiries to the dead”) raises the question of why all three are mentioned in the same verse. The Jewish tractate Sanhedrin distinguishes between a doresh el ha-metim, a person who would sleep in a cemetery after starving himself, to become possessed, and a yidde’oni, a wizard.
In summary, the prohibition of necromancy in the Hebrew Bible is a significant aspect of Jewish history.
When did witchcraft come to an end?
In the 17th and 18th centuries, European nations ceased the practice of executing individuals for witchcraft. This occurred in the Dutch Republic, England, Poland, and Scotland. The last recorded execution of a witch occurred in the Netherlands in 1609, in England in 1684, in Poland in 1793, and in Scotland in 1727. These dates reflect the persistence of witch hunts despite widespread objections to such practices.
When was witchcraft illegal?
The Witchcraft Act of 1604, also known as “An Act against Conjuration, Witchcraft and Dealing with Evil and Wicked Spirits,” expanded the 1562 Act, imposing the death penalty without clergy benefit for those who invoked evil spirits or communed with familiar spirits.
When was the last person accused of witchcraft?
In 1878, the last witchcraft charge in the United States was brought to trial in Salem. Lucretia Brown, an invalid with a spinal injury, became a disciple of Mary Baker Eddy and believed that Christian Science had healed her. When she suffered a “relapse” in 1875, Mrs. Eddy convinced her that Daniel Spofford, who had been excommunicated, was exercising mesmeric powers on her. Spofford called on Brown, causing her to become agitated. Mrs.
Eddy became obsessed with Spofford as an enemy of her church and tried to publish an attack against him in papers throughout the county. She directed twelve of her students to spend two hours each day in concentrated thought against Spofford to prevent further harm to her patients.
How long did the witchcraft act last?
The Witchcraft Act 1735 in Great Britain replaced traditional penalties for witchcraft with penalties for pretence. People who claimed to have the power to call up spirits, foretell the future, cast spells, or discover stolen goods were punished as vagrants and con artists, subject to fines and imprisonment. This Act repealed the 1563 Scottish act and the 1604 English act. The Witchcraft Act 1735 remained in force until its repeal with the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951.
The Fraudulent Mediums Act was repealed in 2008 by new Consumer Protection Regulations following an EU directive targeting unfair sales and marketing practices. The Witchcraft Suppression Act, 1957 of South Africa, is still in force and was based on the Witchcraft Act 1735. The Act, passed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony General Court in 1692, aimed to combat evil and wicked spirits.
How long did the Witchcraft Act last?
The Witchcraft Act 1735 in Great Britain replaced traditional penalties for witchcraft with penalties for pretence. People who claimed to have the power to call up spirits, foretell the future, cast spells, or discover stolen goods were punished as vagrants and con artists, subject to fines and imprisonment. This Act repealed the 1563 Scottish act and the 1604 English act. The Witchcraft Act 1735 remained in force until its repeal with the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951.
The Fraudulent Mediums Act was repealed in 2008 by new Consumer Protection Regulations following an EU directive targeting unfair sales and marketing practices. The Witchcraft Suppression Act, 1957 of South Africa, is still in force and was based on the Witchcraft Act 1735. The Act, passed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony General Court in 1692, aimed to combat evil and wicked spirits.
When did people stop being accused of witchcraft?
In the late 18th century, the practice of witchcraft was no longer considered a criminal offense in Europe. However, several trials, including the execution of Anna Göldi in 1782 in Glarus, Switzerland, and Barbara Zdunk in 1811 in Prussia, were suspected to involve a belief in witches. In Poland, the Doruchów witch trials occurred in 1783, and two additional women were executed for sorcery. Despite the official ending of witchcraft trials, there were occasional and unofficial witch-hunts and killings of those accused of practicing witchcraft in parts of Europe. In France, there was sporadic violence and even murder in the 1830s.
In the 1830s, a prosecution for witchcraft was commenced against a man in Fentress County, Tennessee, either named Joseph or William Stout, based on his alleged influence over a young woman’s health. The case against the supposed witch was dismissed due to the victim’s failure to appear for the trial. However, some of his other accusers were convicted on criminal charges and various libel actions were brought.
What year was the Witchcraft Act repealed?
The Fraudulent Mediums Act was repealed in 1951 and subsequently again in 2008.
When did people stop believing in witches?
Witch persecution in England reached its peak in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, but by the 18th century, witch trials and belief had significantly declined, particularly in elite circles. The traditional explanation for this shift is that the rise of rationality, scientific reasoning, and secular humanism was incompatible with “superstitious” witch belief. However, this explanation is flawed and contains several flawed assumptions. Firstly, enlightenment and post-enlightenment thinkers were more rational than previous periods.
Secondly, scientific discoveries led to disbelief in magic and witches. Thirdly, thinkers who sought to disprove witch existence used secular means. The author argues that elite English disbelief in witches was caused by a new mode of Anglican religious thought, which was engineered to promote a stable social order beneficial to elites.
When was the last person convicted of witchcraft?
In 1944, Duncan was convicted under the Witchcraft Act 1735, which made falsely claiming to procure spirits a crime. She was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment and pleaded “I have done nothing; is there a God?” After her release in 1945, she promised to stop conducting séances but was arrested during another one in 1956 and died shortly after. Duncan’s trial contributed to the repeal of the Witchcraft Act 1735, which was contained in the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951, promoted by Walter Monslow, Labour Member of Parliament for Barrow-in-Furness, and led by Thomas Brooks, another Labour MP, who was a spiritualist.
Duncan died at her home in Edinburgh on 6 December 1956, a short time after another seance. Spiritualists believe she died due to the sudden impact of ectoplasm snapping back into her body when the police raided her séance. However, it is unlikely that there was anything unusual about Duncan’s death or that the police disturbed her “trance”. Duncan’s medical records indicated a long history of poor health, and she was described as obese and suffering from heart trouble.
📹 Britain’s Last Surviving Witch | Helen Duncan
… some claimed was a fraud, she was later tried under the 1735 Witchcraft Act, leading to her being known as Britain’s Last Witch!
She was not a witch. A remote viewer more likely. She was able to access info from a downed ship. Also the DDay info could’ve been accessed by her. She was a natural phenomenon and quite helpful. Edgar Cayce was a medical medium in Virginia Beach USA and was able to help people with medical issues. To this day his remedies have been documented and used by millions. FP. What a great story and perfect narration. Thanks for your research.
Helen Duncan was held in Holloway not really because of her séances were frauds but because the British authorities knew she paid people for information and that she learned of the sinking of the ship from someone connected to the war office, either a sailor or a secretary. She was purposefully held in prison until either the war had ended or just before the war had ended to keep her from potentially exposing more wartime secrets. I saw it from another documentary years ago on Holloway prison.
It sounds like the government wanted a stiff penalty for her, but the jury was more fair. She was certainly a charlatan, but no more so than many others of the time. She could be viewed as someone who stubbornly insisted on practicing the craft that supported her family and many others at a time when it was quite popular. As for the knowledge of the ship, she probably learned of it from a member of one of the families who lost someone and wanted to reach out.
I have someone that might interest you. Her name is Gala Dali, the wife and muse of the artist Salvador Dali. She was ten years his senior, and their relationship was odd to say the least! Gala is truly a complicated character because she did inspire some of her husband’s best works, but she could also be a despicable person too. Here is the link in case you are interested: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gala_Dal%C3%AD
The idea of police raiding séance parlors makes for a funny picture in my mind. Spiritualism was very popular in the Victorian period and had a resurgence after the world wars. Poor grieving families looking for comfort and answers from scammers. There were others who went just for entertainment though — especially upper class people. I still believe people are capable of having certain gifts of intuition and clairvoyance, but I believe it’s highly unethical to charge anyone for advice using these gifts. A barter of services or handmade goods is a better way. Money in itself taints everything it touches.
Talk about using diversion tactics HOLY CRAP ! She was really something else,,,,,,,,,,and I don’t mean a medium, even though I have an open mind about such things,,,,,,the woman who works with a big police department and the detectives,who finds bodies and evidence . There use to be a tv show about her but I saw the real medium with the police detective and it was incredible,,,,no histrionics like this woman,,,no cheating grieving people,,,,non of the nonsense and showmanship that this woman in the story used I really think she did it all for attention since she was a school girl and turned it into a craft that she called,,,being a medium,,,,,dreadful woman! 😒😏. WHAT A GREAT story teller you are,,,,,the research you do and the art you use to depict your stories,brilliant,,,please continue sharing you gift,,,,,,,your fan base is going to BLOW UP,,,😁 🙂 🙃,,,,,,,,🌬💨. 🇨🇦🕊. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼,,,,,last thought,,,she probably contracted ailments while she did her stint in a deplorable prison which shortened her life !?
This woman was not a “Witch”. She practiced Spiritualism AKA holding seances and acting a Medium, to allow the dead to speak through her. Spiritualism began in New York State in the 1840’s. It became enormously popular in the US, UK, and Europe. Its popularity peaked in the UK after WWI, because so many men were lost by the British in the War. Also, “Wicca” was invented by Gerald Gardner and his rich, Bohemian friends in the 1940’s. It isn’t some Pagan practice that has been passed along since the Celts and Druids of ancient times.
Looks like a LOT of people missed the point of the article. For you kids who totally missed the point: Helen Duncan was the last person to be TRIED and SENTENCED as a witch in Britain. Unless you were TRIED and SENTENCED as a witch in Britain, you are NOT who this article is about. Four hundred 12-year-olds in the comments wanting to say “hey I’m a witch” as though it somehow makes them special because they read friggin Harry Potter and thought they’d be unique by being just like the thousands of other kids going around saying they’re witches. (my emojis aren’t working so use your witchcraft to insert a face palm emoji here)
She’s a medium not a witch. What a misleading title. And Gerald Gardener established witch covens which are still active today so how is the title accurate in anyway? I could go to England today and find witches, and the lady described was functioning as a Medium. By the way the Spiritualist Church of England is also still active so she’s not even the last medium.
I don’t understand why people have this knee-jerk reaction to deny that anyone labeled as a witch is actually a witch. There are people that absolutely practice witchcraft and proudly say so. There are those that just dabble without full knowledge or success, but even an unsuccessful witch is still a witch. She was definitely a practitioner of witchcraft. Whether that warrants an arrest is another story.
So…was it the police that killed her, or the fact that she was swallowing large pieces of cloth at an alarming speed? I’m usually on the side of the underdog but this woman, however unfairly treated, was a con-artist. I can’t side with anyone who uses the intense grief of others to make a buck. I don’t wish her ill but consequences can be a bitch – especially if you’re a woman who scares grown men.
What year was this? Late 18 early 1900s I think. Did the technology she would need to pull off faking plasma coming from her mouth to the extent it produced a believable image, one so strong a man married his dead wife’s sister? If she stuffed something up her nose or mouth, how would she begin/conduct a seance? Surely breathing and talking would be quite difficult. People commenting how gullible people are but if you accept the courts conclusions, without question, simply bcuz they’re the courts….you’re just as gullible. To me, the courts sound just as ridiculous as they claimed her to be.
SHE WAS NOT THE LAST SURVIVING WITCH. WITCHCRAFT IS ALIVE AND THRIVING IN UK. I SHOULD KNOW, I AM ONE. I also teach my craft through small teaching covens. Usually about 7 – 10 students at a time. I have also written a 13 part course on the subject. So whoever is responsible for this stupid I’ll informed, unreserved article is WRONG
I think if she had not told people what happened on an as yet unreleased ship casualty, she would not have been prosecuted. Also, now that I know she pulled a hissy fit and started hitting people when she was to be X-rayed, it’s hard to remain sympathetic. She should have been fined and outed as a fraud, but prison seems a bit much. Then again, they were afraid that she was a spy in wartime.
I know what she did was wrong but she did make some people happy like the husband and sister they got married they probably had a real charmed Life and was very happy and other people that they had help that needed help when they lost their loved ones but the thing that most sticks with me is them calling her a fat female crook really you have to go all in on her and call her fat I’m quite sure she knew she was heavy weighted
mediums – how they fool people is beyond me. grief can so affect a person though, that you can’t think straight. the only one i thought truly cared is John Edward and he was able to console those who really needed it. but i saw a vid that completely showed him up. it was a ridiculous episode. i still think he cares, but the money must be incredible!! most “mediums” though are completely ridiculous and they all use the same techniques. how can people not see this?!!!
Hi 👋🏽 Friends, very sad story. They said, that the Life, of her clients changed for the better!!! Fucking police 🚔 hunted her to die so early! Very, very sad 😢 Story. What a nightmare, against our psychic abilities and Healing Powers! Thank goodness 😅, that this changed! 🌹Thank you, Great, tragic Story. 🙏🏾🌹
I have a belief but it is my belief I would never expect any body else to share in that belief and I would never charge for it plus sometimes it is strong and other days I wrestle with it myself one thing is for sure those that claim they are in touch with spirit are not right to charge money for it and they will have more off days than good days and it certainly cannot be predicted when those good days are it is all beyond their control so never hand your money over to a psychic
This Lady suffered,a Witch..No🤔A Medium.Interesting story.Also these horrible people who try to prove she was a fake..they have nothing better to do with their time…BUT I add..there are cruel thoughtless fakes around these days.Some people’s lives are fragile+trust the Medium…yet they are not a Medium😪
This woman was a possible medium…….but she did not know enough. Neuro-linguistic behavioural masters of psychological influence….are not entertainers. Unfortunately….profit is tempting and leads to these elaborate shows. The less props you need the better your actual innate abilities are. This is why tarot cards are the best tool for this. The mystery is about your abilities to understand the human condition…..and not the mystery of what props were used. Most importantly….you want them to leave with more hope than they entered with. It takes a lot to be able to know what people need….to get out of their own way….to end toxic habits…to let go….to be validated as a human. Which is why you should only do this stuff if you have a decent understanding of humans….a pure intention to help others heal and progress….and are accurate in your analysis of what others require…..otherwise you cause more harm than good. Think of a person who understands numbers really well and can compute in their head any equation……it is similar for mediums (whatever you want to call them) to see human behaviour as finite on planet earth and be able to compute the possible future paths of certain types of behaviour within a certain set of rules. Mostly these people hide…as one cannot shut the ability off….and it is exhausting to be around other humans. Witch is a word we use for a woman with abilities others cannot understand….men are called warlocks….silly names….but I guess having knowledge others dont can seem like magic.
These fascinate me and if you could do more and lesser well known people. I’d love that. But she was a fraud in the way that if she did have abilities, she faked and lied and stretched the truth for money. Real witches are everywhere, though. You and probably most would be shocked by the numbers. So many people are naturally born with gifts everyday. It’s just if and how they plan to use them.
Gah! These stupid witch things always drive me bonkers. If you were a witch…a real broom flying bloody card carrying spell casting child eater…would you LET them burn you at the stake??? Not. I would spell my way the F out of jail too. Byebye. Thanks FL. Interesting and well done as always. Just one of those things thats like a worm in my brain haha. Boy what a life I would have had back then. Very short I think.🤫🧙