In the years 1645–1647, when England was embroiled in a traumatic and bloody Civil War, roughly three hundred people in the South East were accused of witchcraft. Received wisdom — and some shameless self-promotion on the part of the chief investigators — has dictated that the largest witch-hunt in English history was driven by the obsessive enthusiasm of two men: John Stearne and Matthew Hopkins, the self-appointed Witchfinder General. Much of the scholarship surrounding the so-called “Hopkins Trials” trials has focused on these two men, placing them centre-stage in a story that affected hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

“England’s Mass Witch-Hunt: A Seven County History of the Hunt” is a Leverhulme-funded Project run by Professor Marion Gibson and Dr Tabitha Stanmore. The aim is to create a people’s history of the witchcraft trials of 1645–1647 and to recover the voices which were once deemed unimportant: the accused women and men, their neighbours and accusers. This 6-part mini-series produced by The Folklore Podcast and hosted by folklorist Mark Norman uncovers the stories and findings of the project. In discussion with Marion and Tabitha, we bring these new stories to a global audience for the first time.

Follow the project on BlueSky at https://bsky.app/profile/witches7hunt.bsky.social
Read the project blog at https://medium.com/@Witches7Hunt

Listen to the episode on the player below, or watch on YouTube here