Witches in Elizabethan England (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Note

Summary

Belief in magic and witchcraft had existed in England for centuries. However, the number of people prosecuted under laws used punish those who committed witchcraft increased dramatically towards the 1500s. Historians have reached different explanations or interpretations for why this happened.

Persecution of witches

• Belief in magic was widespread in Elizabethan England

• Most areas would have a local 'wise woman' who was seen as being able to use spells and potions to:

  • Cure illnesses

  • Make people fall in love

  • Predict the future

• Magic that was used to harm people or commit evil was known as witchcraft

• Witchcraft was so widely believed that laws were passed against it in 1563

  • People were imprisoned if convicted of using witchcraft to harm people

  • People were hanged if convicted of using witchcraft to kill someone

• Most of the people who were put on trial for witchcraft were women who lived on their own and had been reported by their neighbours

  • Having pets or 'familiars' was widely seen as evidence of being a witch

  • The witch, people believed, would use the animals to commit evil deeds

An increase in prosecutions for witchcraft

• Towards the end of Elizabeth's reign, there was a large increase in the number of people being put on trial for witchcraft

• Historians cannot agree on why this is