St Osyth Witches
Encyclopedia
The St Osyth Witches is a common reference to the accusations of witchcraft
surrounding Essex
in 1582. A village near Brightlingsea
in Essex, St Osyth was home to fourteen women who were put on trial for witchcraft. The incident that sparked these accusations of witchcraft, as was commonly the cause, was a village disagreement which was blown out of proportion and exaggerated to a large enough scale to end in the death of a portion of the accused.
s or didn't run parallel with the expectations of society. The first to be accused was a woman called Ursula Kemp
, a woman of local origins, who made a living through her skills as a midwife and a healer. It was through her reputation of being able to undo curse
s that had been placed upon people by the means of witchcraft that lead to her own accusation of witchcraft by Grace Thurlowe.
s in particular are renowned for their use of child witnesses who were under the official age that a person can be allowed to give evidence at. This was a trait that did catch on and continued after these trials. An example of this was Ursula Kempe's eight year old son, partly because of her son's testimony
and partly because of the court's promise to treat her with clemency, she confessed to the art of witchcraft, and in this confession as was often the case she implicated others that she knew.
The accusations ranged from minor effects such as preventing beer
from brewing to serious cases such as causing a death through the means of sorcery, usually ending in execution.
When the trial ended Kempe was executed by hanging
along with Elizabeth Bennet, who was found guilty of murder
ing four people through witchcraft and confessed to having two familiars
.
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
surrounding Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
in 1582. A village near Brightlingsea
Brightlingsea
Brightlingsea is a coastal town in the Tendring district of Essex, England, located between Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea, situated at the mouth of the River Colne, on Brightlingsea Creek. It has an estimated population of 8500....
in Essex, St Osyth was home to fourteen women who were put on trial for witchcraft. The incident that sparked these accusations of witchcraft, as was commonly the cause, was a village disagreement which was blown out of proportion and exaggerated to a large enough scale to end in the death of a portion of the accused.
Ursula Kemp
As it was like in many cases the persons accused were people who were lonerLoner
A loner is a person who avoids or does not actively seek human interaction or prefers to be alone. There are many reasons for solitude, intentional or otherwise, and "loner" implies no specific cause. Intentional reasons include spiritual and religious considerations or personal philosophies...
s or didn't run parallel with the expectations of society. The first to be accused was a woman called Ursula Kemp
Ursula Kemp
Ursula Kemp or Ursley Kempe alias Grey was an English cunning woman and midwife who in 1582 was tried for witchcraft and hanged. Kemp was accused of using familiars to kill and bring sickness to her neighbours.-Biography:Kemp was born in St Osyth, Essex...
, a woman of local origins, who made a living through her skills as a midwife and a healer. It was through her reputation of being able to undo curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
s that had been placed upon people by the means of witchcraft that lead to her own accusation of witchcraft by Grace Thurlowe.
The Trial
These trialTrial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
s in particular are renowned for their use of child witnesses who were under the official age that a person can be allowed to give evidence at. This was a trait that did catch on and continued after these trials. An example of this was Ursula Kempe's eight year old son, partly because of her son's testimony
Testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
and partly because of the court's promise to treat her with clemency, she confessed to the art of witchcraft, and in this confession as was often the case she implicated others that she knew.
The accusations ranged from minor effects such as preventing beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
from brewing to serious cases such as causing a death through the means of sorcery, usually ending in execution.
When the trial ended Kempe was executed by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
along with Elizabeth Bennet, who was found guilty of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ing four people through witchcraft and confessed to having two familiars
Familiar spirit
In European folklore and folk-belief of the Medieval and Early Modern periods, familiar spirits were supernatural entities believed to assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic...
.
External links
- http://www.witchtrials.co.uk/1582.html
- http://www.bloodylexicon.com/monsters/ursula-kemp-and-the-st-osyth-witches/