Witches: James I and the English Witch Hunts

There have been few English kings who wrote books. James I was one of them, and because of it, woe to you if you were a poor old woman in the early seventeenth century. James's book was the 1597 _Daemonologie_, about how to find and persecute witches, and he and his book play important roles in _Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal, and Seduction_ (Jonathan Cape) by Tracy Borman. The author is a British historian who has brought us here the story of Francis Manners, the Earl of Rutland and the lord of Belvoir Castle in Liecestershire. The Earl had a serious problem with witches: they killed his sons. He even made sure that witches got explicit blame on his sons' tomb in the village church. He was friends with King James, and took to prosecuting (and persecuting) the witches responsible, just as James advised. Borman has given the facts of the case as best as can be known; the court transcripts are long gone, but as was often the case in sensational trials, there was a pamphlet all about the trials and the executions of the witches. It is a sad story of a time when superstition was backed up by religious fervor, and Borman does not restrict herself to just the Manners family and the three women of the Flower family that were accused as witches. She gives a general depiction of witch persecution in England at the time, a broader picture that makes this a scintillating, if troubling, history.Joan Flower and her two daughters, Margaret and Phillipa, had been among the many house staff within Belvoir Castle, as other members of the Flower family had been before them. There was some sort of disagreement, and they were let go. The earl and his wife turned fretful over the health of their younger and then their elder son. Eventually, the earl, with the blessing of his king, began the persecution of the women. The brutality and unfairness of such their ordeals is distressing. Since these women were guilty (or else they could not have been accused), they could not be treated badly enough. It is not clear exactly what the accused witches in this case went through, but they were kept in miserable conditions. The mother died on her way to prison, in the extraordinary circumstance of her insisting on an ordeal to test her guilt. She was fed bread that had been blessed, and she promptly died; this must have obliged her tormentors. Her daughters went on to prison in Lincoln, and may (if they got treatment comparable to other imprisoned witches) have suffered exposure, sleep deprivation, and wounding or rape in attempts to find a Devil's mark. Judges were eager to hear that the witch had confessed to her crimes, and it is not surprising that confessions could be arranged under such torture. There was little in the way of real evidence for the crime of witchery; no impartial observer at trial ever testified about witnessing an act of sorcery, and although authorities would raid the premises of other criminals in order to find evidence, they never did so against witches. Evidence was rather the depositions of neighbors, who may have had a grudge against the outcast women. The courts allowed themselves extraordinarily wide leeway for taking evidence, even permitting the testimony of women and children, testimony which would not have been accepted in trials of other crimes.The daughters were found guilty, of course, and hanged. Besides taking a broader view of witchcraft beyond this one sad case, Borman suggests that James's favorite, the Duke of Buckingham, may have wanted the earl's sons dead as he was engaged to marry the earl's daughter, the one remaining child. Well, perhaps, but such conspiracy suppositions are a sidetrack from the main show here, a thoughtful reconstruction of a particular witchcraft trial within a wider view of the European-wide witch persecution.

Very nice discussion of James I and his preoccupation (or perhaps obsession) with witch hunting. The book gives a good overview of the Earl of Rutland's case against the Flowers women, whom he believed were disgruntled employees who had hexed his sons.The book goes a bit awry with speculation about whether the Duke of Buckingham (who was engaged to the Earl of Rutland's daughter) actually poisoned the boys. There is literally no evidence for this, except the fact he knew a 'wise' man or wizard (which Borman said earlier in the book was very common) and he and his future wife stood in inherit if the boys died. By the end, Borman is doing exactly what she criticizes the witch hunters for doing: condemning by association, assuming guilt based on social behavior and speculating wildly.Up to that point though, it is a good read for those interested in late Tudor and early 17th century witchcraft. Borman's books on Cromwell and on Queen Matilda are better.

Not a novel. A highly detailed historical book revolving around the medieval witch hunts.

Very interesting read. Very descriptive. But not at all what I was expecting. Still, if u want a history lesson it is worth a read and I recommend it.

A good historical account of witchcraft. Written in a way that is easy to understand. Have worked through several chapters but still not got to the part of Belvior account of witchcraft, so a slow start. Otherwise, really interesting.

Fascinating and compelling, a glimpse into the lives of 15\16c people, their beliefs and the horrendous treatment of poor people who had no one to defend them. Real history and real people brought to life

I really like this book, it’s very interesting to read, and based on content alone I would give this 5 stars. However when it was packaged part of the front cover and pages must have been bent, and now there is a fold mark visible despite trying to weight it back into place. It’s only a cosmetic issue, but as someone who trys to keep all books in top condition, it does bother me.

Superbly written by a lady clearly expert in the field of Tudor Britain. A terrifying time for any woman.