Amelia Moore is an author who writes
fictional stories surrounding the topic of witchcraft. All set in the past, her
narratives draw on historical facts. Using her background in research, she studies
the witch-hunting obsession across Europe during the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s. Amelia
uses this material to support the characters and events in her tales. For her
reader’s interest, she writes articles on the witchcraft trials and their
tragic consequences. She believes that we must not forget these terrible
episodes in our past as they can still tell us much about humanity, even today.
This
is the story of the Bideford Witches
On
the 25th August 1682, three women were hanged for witchcraft at
Heavitree gallows, in Bideford, North Devon. The women became known as The
Bideford Witches. Their names were Temperance Floyd, Susanna Edwards and Mary (Floyd)
Trembles. They were reportedly the last known people to be executed for
witchcraft in England, although there are reliable accounts of executions
happening around the country much later than this date.
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| wikipedia |
The story of this trial is preserved in The Book of Bideford, which was written
in 1792 by John Watkins, a local historian of that area. It is the first
historical account of the Bideford witchcraft trials of 1682. He maintained
that these unfortunate women were the victims of ignorance and hatred and the
evidence against them was no more than malicious rumour and hearsay. Watkins
wrote, “there was always some poor devil,
either on account of an unlucky visage, sour temper, or wretched poverty, set
up as the object of terror and universal hatred.”
After
the 1600’s witch-hunting craze in England had somewhat abated, most witch
trials actually ended in acquittal. The Bideford trials were therefore exceptional,
and on two counts. Bideford was a reasonably cultured town, not some isolated,
rural village where ignorance and superstition had seen most of the witchcraft
‘events’ occurring. Secondly, these trials ended in execution.
So
how did this tragedy happen?
It all
began one Saturday in July 1682, with a local shopkeeper by the name of Thomas
Eastchurch. He informed the town’s constables that he suspected Temperance Floyd
of using witchcraft on Grace Thomas, another local, causing her to become sick.
Why he did this is not known. The accusation made against Temperance was that
she used magical arts upon the person of Grace Thomas. She was arrested and
charged with this offence, plus another of communicating with the Devil in the
shape of a black man.
Following
Eastchurch’s accusation, other people in the community came forward and added
more to the list. One in particular came from Anne Wakely, who reported that
she had seen a magpie fly into Grace Thomas's bedroom window. She said that
Temperance had previously told her that she
was sometimes visited by a bird, which changed into the likeness of a black
man. Eastchurch then added that he heard Temperance confess once that a black
man had persuaded her to go to Grace’s house to 'pinch and prick' her.
Grace
then claimed that on the night of the 1st June, she suffered:
“Sticking and pricking pains, as though pins
and awls had been thrust into her body, from the crown of her head to the soles
of her feet, and she lay as though it had been upon a rack.”
Grace
claimed to have suffered a further attack on the 30th June and not
long after, saw a cat go into Eastchurch's shop; the cat being another manifestation
of the Devil.
At
first, Temperance denied using witchcraft to harm anyone. However, when Grace
insisted she had marks of nine pin pricks in her knee, it is recorded that Temperance
became confused. No doubt this was more terror than confusion but
none-the-less, she apparently admitted to driving a pin into a piece of leather
nine times. Two more women then came forward, Grace Barnes and Dorcas Coleman,
also claiming to have suffered at the hands of Temperance and her magic. The
wretched woman eventually admitted to all of these charges. She also admitted
to causing the deaths of three other inhabitants of Bideford and blinding
another in one of their eyes. Temperance Lloyd was subsequently sent to Exeter gaol
on the 8th July 1682.
Two
more local women, Mary (Floyd) Trembles and Susanna Edwards were then denounced
by their neighbours. It was reported that they had both been seen in the
company of Temperance, begging for food in the town. So, they too were arrested
and incarcerated, with her, on the 19th July.
By
the time the justices arrived at Exeter, the whole city was gripped with
curiosity about the so-called witches, and tales of their magical acts and
Devilish goings-on abounded. By the time the trial began, the good people of
Exeter were almost hysterical and ridiculous claims of what the women had done
whipped up a fanatical resolve in seeing them punished by death. The brother of
Lord North, the presiding judge at the trial, claimed that, “the country people would have committed
some disorder if they (the women) were acquitted.”
With this ominous backdrop, the trial of the
three accused took place on 19th August. Like all witchcraft trials
in England, it was not conducted in the usual legalistic manner. Witchcraft was
considered to be a crime apart from all others and suspicion alone was adequate
grounds for accusation and charging. Being absent from the scene of the crime
was not considered to be an alibi and even children were allowed to act as
witnesses for the prosecution. All that was required for a conviction was
‘proof’ of some kind, such as an unnatural mark on the suspect's body, an accusation
being made by another witch, or testimonies from those who had witnessed the
suspect making a pact with the Devil. (The latter could be in the form of a
simple encounter with an animal).
All
of these factors were put forward in the trial of the Bideford women as
evidence of their guilt. Temperence was accused of having unnatural teats on
her body for the Devil to suckle. This was not required to be proven however, as
she, like the other two women, admitted their guilt. Sir Thomas Raymond, one of
judges sitting, actually allowed these ludicrous accusations and guilty
statements to stand in his court and raised no objection to the jury finding
the suspects guilty of all charges made against them. What is disturbing about
this account is that none of the women even attempted to deny the charges made against
them. Instead, according to Watkin’s writings, they seemed somewhat weary of
the whole episode and resigned to their fate. No doubt they were terrified and possibly,
in their ignorance, actually began to believe they were indeed witches. Whatever
was the case, Roger North, the judge’s brother, commentated, “they (the women) had a great skill to
convict themselves. Their description of the sucking devils with saucer-eyes
was as natural that the jury could not choose but believe them.”
Any possibility
of a reprieve was also quashed. Lord North wrote to the Secretary of State, who
had the power to save the lives of the three women, and advised him to rule
that the executions go ahead. He warned him that if they did not, there might
actually be a public uprising. There was also the law to consider. If these
women were not executed, then the judiciary could be accused themselves of
denying the existence of witches. This might then give rise to the old practice
of illegal witch-hunts. So the State, for political reasons, allowed these
poor, ignorant women to be put to death.
Their
executions took place on 25th August 1682. As they stood next to the
gallows, each woman denied all of the charges made against them. It was as if
they suddenly found their voices. Nothing was going to prevent their dying so
horribly however.
Susanna
Edwards was the first to be hanged, followed by Mary (Floyd) Trembles and then Temperance
Floyd.
May their souls be at peace for this grave
injustice made against them.
References
John
Watkins - The Book of Bideford (1792)
Devon
Life - The Bideford Witches of North Devon, Devon's fascinating history (2010)
Devon
History Society - Bideford: Watkins and
witches (2014)
Nicky
Joy (2011)
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