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John Stearne (c. 1610–1670) [1] was an associate of self-styled "Witchfinder General" Matthew Hopkins, who was active during the English Civil War. [2] . The duo's activities were heavily fictionalized in the 1968 horror film Witchfinder-General (U.S. title: The Conqueror Worm ).
- John Stearne
- Roger Nowell
- Margaret Aitken
- John Cotta
- Christian Caldwell
- John Godbold
- Sir Henry Chauncy
Stearne (c. 1610–1670) was Matthew Hopkins’ associate but is often overlooked in favour of the dark foreboding figure of the ‘Witchfinder General’ – yet it was he who helped, more than any other, to put and sustain Hopkins onto his malign path. A member of the gentry from Lawshall near Bury St Edmunds, his accusations helped bring about the executi...
Although not as famous as Hopkins and Stearne’s reign of terror, the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612 are sometimes referred to as the ‘Salem of England’ due to their scale and importance. The trial not only resulted in the execution of ten people, but also set a dangerous precedent in witchcraft cases that would go on to have a lasting influence – befo...
Aitken is an unusual addition to this list – accused of witchcraft, she avoided torture and execution and turned witchfinder by claiming to be able to recognise fellowwitches. In the ‘Great Scottish Witch Hunt of 1597’, Aitken was accused of witchcraft and , to spare her own life, during her confession she claimed to be able to recognise other witc...
Although not a witchfinder per se, John Cotta (1575–1650) was a doctor and leading ‘expert’ on witchcraft. Despite being known for exposing quack doctors and arguing for better medical learning, Cotta was convinced of the existence of witches, sorcerers, and witchcraft and his works influenced many of the witchfinders of the 17th Century thanks to ...
Caldwell was notorious cross-dressing witch-hunter and ‘pricker’ active in Morayshire, Scotland, during the 1660s. It was a commonly held belief that a witch would have ‘devil’s marks’ or ‘witch marks’ about her body where animal ‘familiars’ sent by the devil would suckle blood before doing their bidding; witch-pricking involved lancing these marks...
It is likely that the impact of Hopkins and Stearne’s activities extended far across East Anglia and, in 1645, there was reported to be a significant number of alleged witches in Suffolk not being put on trial. A routine assize commission was drawn up with Godbold, an MP and Serjeant-at-Arms, as its judge. Parliament, alarmed at the number of ‘conf...
Chauncy (1632 – 1719) was a Hertfordshire lawyer who, at the age of 80, was involved in one of England’s last witch-hunts in 1712. The alleged witch, Jane Wenham, brought a charge of defamation against a farmer after they called her a witch. As the local Justice of the Peace, Chauncy referred the matter to the rector of Walkern and Wenham was award...
1 de oct. de 2020 · John Stearne, A Confirmation and. Discovery of Witchcraft (1648) The book begins with an overview of the East Anglian witch-hunt and provides a brief introduction into relevant historiography for students or non-specialists.
4 de dic. de 2005 · Still in his early 20s, Hopkins allied himself with the like-minded John Stearne, of Lawshall, Suffolk, who was about a decade his senior. Stearne, visiting Manningtree on business, became...
9 de jul. de 2013 · In a remote corner of Essex, two obscure gentlemen, Matthew Hopkins and John Stearne, exploited the anxiety and lawlessness of the time and initiated a brutal campaign to drive out the presumed evil in their midst ...
26 de oct. de 2020 · New research has convincingly argued that John Stearne, long understood as Matthew Hopkins’ right-hand man, clearly played a central role in the investigation of accused witches and may actually have instigated the East Anglian trials.
31 de may. de 2020 · Routledge, May 31, 2020 - History - 216 pages. Between 1645-7, John Stearne led the most significant outbreak of witch-hunting in England. As accusations of witchcraft spread across East...
