uk witch trials
Oct. 14th, 2025 05:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crimsoncurrentNo definitive "first" witch trial in England can be pinpointed due to a lack of surviving records, but historians identify two important dates related to the earliest recorded prosecutions:
The first known trial involving witchcraft and treason, that of Eleanor Cobham, concluded in the autumn of 1441. Her accomplice, Margery Jourdemayne, was burned at the stake on October 27, 1441.
The first documented execution under the 1563 Act Against Conjurations, Enchantments and Witchcraft was likely Agnes Mylles in Wiltshire in April 1564, though the exact date is unknown.
Earliest witchcraft trial: Eleanor Cobham (1441)
The treason and witchcraft trial of Eleanor Cobham is one of the earliest documented cases.
Arrest and Trial: The duchess and her associates were arrested in the summer of 1441 for conspiring against the King, Henry VI. The trial occurred in London in October 1441.
Public penance and imprisonment: On November 13, 15, and 17, 1441, Cobham was forced to perform public penance in London. She was then imprisoned for life.
Execution of accomplice: Margery Jourdemayne, "the Witch of Eye" and one of Cobham's associates, was burned at the stake at Smithfield on October 27, 1441.
Start of large-scale witch hunts: Agnes Mylles (1564) and Agnes Waterhouse (1566)
While the Cobham case was a political trial that involved witchcraft, the more widespread period of witch hunts began later, after new laws were passed in the mid-16th century.
Agnes Mylles: The earliest execution known to have taken place under the 1563 law was that of Agnes Mylles in April 1564. However, the exact date is lost to history because the relevant court records have not survived.
Agnes Waterhouse: The best-documented early trial under the 1563 act is that of Agnes Waterhouse. She was hanged in Chelmsford on July 29, 1566, following a well-publicized trial.
Why an exact date is difficult to find
The primary reason it is impossible to name a single "first" date is due to limited and inconsistent records from the medieval and Tudor eras.
Before 1542: Before the first Witchcraft Act of 1542, witchcraft was often prosecuted as treason or another crime, but no specific date for the first of these is known.
Missing records: The vast majority of criminal court records from the early Elizabethan era do not survive, especially for some counties. This makes it impossible to know who might have been tried and executed during the first few years of the 1563 Witchcraft Act.
Focus on famous cases: Famous trials like Eleanor Cobham's, though significant, may not be the very first. They are simply the earliest where enough information survives to piece the story together.
AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more
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The first major witch trial in England, based on the 1542 and later Witchcraft Acts, was likely the one at Chelmsford in 1566, which resulted in the execution of Agnes Waterhouse. However, there were earlier trials before witchcraft was formally criminalized, such as the 1441 case involving Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester.
First major trial and execution: The trial of Agnes Waterhouse in Chelmsford in 1566 is considered the first major witch trial after the passing of the initial Witchcraft Act in 1542, which made witchcraft a crime punishable by death. She was executed in July 1566.
Earlier trials: While there were no specific laws against witchcraft before 1542, trials did occur earlier. Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, was tried for witchcraft in 1441, though under different charges related to treason and sorcery.
Legal context: The 1542 Witchcraft Act was the first law to explicitly criminalize witchcraft in England. While it was temporarily repealed, it was reinstated in 1562, and a more severe law was passed in 1604 during the reign of James I.
The first known trial involving witchcraft and treason, that of Eleanor Cobham, concluded in the autumn of 1441. Her accomplice, Margery Jourdemayne, was burned at the stake on October 27, 1441.
The first documented execution under the 1563 Act Against Conjurations, Enchantments and Witchcraft was likely Agnes Mylles in Wiltshire in April 1564, though the exact date is unknown.
Earliest witchcraft trial: Eleanor Cobham (1441)
The treason and witchcraft trial of Eleanor Cobham is one of the earliest documented cases.
Arrest and Trial: The duchess and her associates were arrested in the summer of 1441 for conspiring against the King, Henry VI. The trial occurred in London in October 1441.
Public penance and imprisonment: On November 13, 15, and 17, 1441, Cobham was forced to perform public penance in London. She was then imprisoned for life.
Execution of accomplice: Margery Jourdemayne, "the Witch of Eye" and one of Cobham's associates, was burned at the stake at Smithfield on October 27, 1441.
Start of large-scale witch hunts: Agnes Mylles (1564) and Agnes Waterhouse (1566)
While the Cobham case was a political trial that involved witchcraft, the more widespread period of witch hunts began later, after new laws were passed in the mid-16th century.
Agnes Mylles: The earliest execution known to have taken place under the 1563 law was that of Agnes Mylles in April 1564. However, the exact date is lost to history because the relevant court records have not survived.
Agnes Waterhouse: The best-documented early trial under the 1563 act is that of Agnes Waterhouse. She was hanged in Chelmsford on July 29, 1566, following a well-publicized trial.
Why an exact date is difficult to find
The primary reason it is impossible to name a single "first" date is due to limited and inconsistent records from the medieval and Tudor eras.
Before 1542: Before the first Witchcraft Act of 1542, witchcraft was often prosecuted as treason or another crime, but no specific date for the first of these is known.
Missing records: The vast majority of criminal court records from the early Elizabethan era do not survive, especially for some counties. This makes it impossible to know who might have been tried and executed during the first few years of the 1563 Witchcraft Act.
Focus on famous cases: Famous trials like Eleanor Cobham's, though significant, may not be the very first. They are simply the earliest where enough information survives to piece the story together.
AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more
----------------------------------------
The first major witch trial in England, based on the 1542 and later Witchcraft Acts, was likely the one at Chelmsford in 1566, which resulted in the execution of Agnes Waterhouse. However, there were earlier trials before witchcraft was formally criminalized, such as the 1441 case involving Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester.
First major trial and execution: The trial of Agnes Waterhouse in Chelmsford in 1566 is considered the first major witch trial after the passing of the initial Witchcraft Act in 1542, which made witchcraft a crime punishable by death. She was executed in July 1566.
Earlier trials: While there were no specific laws against witchcraft before 1542, trials did occur earlier. Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, was tried for witchcraft in 1441, though under different charges related to treason and sorcery.
Legal context: The 1542 Witchcraft Act was the first law to explicitly criminalize witchcraft in England. While it was temporarily repealed, it was reinstated in 1562, and a more severe law was passed in 1604 during the reign of James I.