the discovery of witches book matthew hopkins

Unlike similar laws on the continent, the bill itself makes no mention of a pact with the devil as a feature important to identifying a witch. The first English legislation specifically designed to address the issue of witchcraft did not occur until 1542 with a bill introduced by King Henry VIII.The bill, appropriately named the “Bill against Conjuration and Witchcrafts and Sorcery and Enchantments” highlights the new attention being given to the threat of witchcraft in England. Moreover, as this paper will illustrate, Hopkins’ efforts were the culmination of many decades of increasing fears of witchcraft in England. A combination of factors was responsible for this needless suffering and death, and Hopkins simply acted in accordance with public demand. Though Hopkins has often been blamed with instigating the panic, he did not do it alone. These factors combined to form a new climate where superstition and paranoia were slowly gripping the citizens in the countryside, making Hopkins’ arrival all the more fortuitous. Economic depression, religious rivalries, and the ever-present threat of civil war left the population wary and uncertain. Hopkins’ rise to fame came at a time when England was going through one of its darkest periods to date. Though common on the continent, Hopkins was England’s first and only official witchfinder, and his appearance was often the catalyst needed to turn public fear into action. Working under the title “witchfinder general” Hopkins (along with his partner John Stearne) travelled through the countryside with the intention of bringing witches to justice. This period saw more executions for witchcraft than any other chapter in the history of that nation and part of the reason was the sudden appearance on the scene of a gentleman named Matthew Hopkins. One of the most remarkable episodes to come out of the European witch craze was the panic that gripped East Anglia, England from 1645-1647. The Historical Significance of Matthew Hopkins: England’s “Witchfinder General” By Shana Hay

The discovery of witches book matthew hopkins