Witches Are Real: True? False?

Witches Are Real! True? False?

There have been stories of witches throughout history.  Every period of time has their own stories and versions of witches and witchcraft.  Here are three stories and examples of witches: The Pendle Witches, The Witch of Pungo, and The Story of Bridget Bishop who is actually my 4th great grandfather’s 4th great grandmother.

            One of the most famous witch trials in England history is of the Pendle Witches or Lancashire Witches.  In the county Lancashire of England in 1612, ten people were hanged because of witchcraft.  The Pendle Witches were accused of murdering seventeen people with witchcraft.  There were thirteen total witches, but only ten of them were hung then.  Two of the witches died waiting for trial and one who didn’t live in Lancashire was hung in Yorkshire.  The witches were accused of selling their souls to spirits in return for the ability to kill or make lame who they wanted to.  A feud between two families, Demdike and Chattox, started the Pendle Witches.  The unusual part was that all the witches did not try to hide their accusations.  They even made statements about them being involved with witchcraft.

            The story of The Witch of Pungo is one of the best-known stories in Virginia. Neighbors of Grace Sherwood, The Witch of Pungo, accused her of witchcraft in 1698.  Her neighbors thought Grace had bewitched their crops.   As time went on more allegations came up against her.  A jury was ordered to search her body for markings of the devil.  They never found any markings on her, so she was to be tried by “dunking”.  Dunking is a method to judge witches.  They would have their right thumb tied to their big left toe and their left thumb to their big right toe.  While being thrown into a lake.  The belief was that water is pure so it would resist evil, and make a witch float instead of sink.  Grace was thrown into the lake and floated.  She then was put into jail for eight years on witchcraft.

            Bridget Bishop who is my 4th great grandfather’s 4th great grandmother was born between 1632 and 1637.  Bridget was married three times and her last marriage was to Edward Bishop.  Bridget Bishop was the first witch to be hanged in Salem.  Bridget had the most accusations against her for witchcraft then any other accused in Salem.  It was probably due to her flamboyant life style and the exotic dress she would wear.  She was a member of Mr. Hale’s church in Beverly and stayed in good standing till her death.  Bridget Bishop often gossiped about her and her husbands fighting, held parties at her home till late in the night, and drank along with playing shovel-board, which was a forbidden game at the time.  Many people said that her “dubious moral character”, her bad conduct, and disrespect to the Puritan standards made her a prime target for witchcraft.  Her first time in court was in 1680 where she was accused of witchcraft, but was cleared of the charges.  Then again on April 18, 1692 she was accused of witchcraft.  People stated that she made some of their children pass away when they were completely healthy, and some of the afflicted girls cried out saying that Bridget was causing them pain.  Also her sister’s husband accused her of talking with the devil all night and the devil came in bodily contact with her.  On June 10, Sheriff George Corwin hung Bridget at Gallows Hill.  At the hanging she showed no remorse and proclaimed her innocence.

            Those were only three accounts of witch trials, but witches have been accused throughout history.  The stories of the Pendle Witches and The Witch of Pungo are some well-known stories from parts of the world.  Then the story of Bridget Bishop is a fun family history story that I’ve heard many times growing up.