Dr Katie Liddane is a Witchcraft History PhD Graduate at Northumbria University, with a PhD on the history and heritage of witch trials in the North East of England. She gives frequent talks at Newcastle Castle about history and folklore and recently gave a talk about the Newcastle Witch Trials in August 2024.
Of all the notorious witch trials and hunts in Britain over the centuries, the Newcastle Witch Trials have received very little notice. While the Pendle Witch Trials and other smaller trials in Lancashire are better known, the Newcastle Witch Trials have largely been forgotten.
Despite this, the Newcastle Witch Trials of 1650 marked one of the largest mass executions for witchcraft in the country, with 15 people—14 women and 1 man—sentenced to death by hanging. Their bodies are buried in unmarked graves at St. Andrew’s Church in the City Centre on Newgate Street.
In 1649, the council of Newcastle brought in a Witchfinder from Scotland, paying him 20 shillings for each case he handled in Berwick. The town crier urged citizens to come forward with any knowledge of suspected witches or to accuse their neighbours, leading to the apprehension of 30 individuals who were taken to the Town Hall.
The Witchfinder used a technique known as pricking, which involved publicly undressing the accused and piercing their skin with a needle. However, it was later revealed that the Witchfinder was scamming the people of Newcastle, using a retractable needle that did not prick the victims. Other popular methods used by Witch Finders across Britain included water trials and finding a Devil’s Mark on the accused, as well as often using torture to force confessions even though torture was not allowed.
Dr Katie Liddane discussed the names of those executed for Witchcraft in Newcastle: Matthew Bulmer, Elizabeth Anderson, Jane Hunter, Mary Potts, Alice Hume, Elianor Rogerson, Margaret Muffit, Margaret Maddison, Elizabeth Brown, Margaret Brown, Jane Copeland, Ann Watson, Elianor Henderson, Elizabeth Dobson, and Katherine Coulter. We believe it's essential to also remember the names of the innocent victims.
The talk also mentioned how Margaret Brown beseeched God for a remarkable sign of their innocence at the time of their execution. When she was turned off the ladder, her blood gushed out upon the people to the admiration of the beholders. Perhaps this was the sign she was innocent?
In the 17th century, difficulties in proving witchcraft led to caution in several regions. Witch trials persisted in the fringes of Europe and the American Colonies. Historians in the 18th century concluded that torture led to false testimony in witch trials. Trials subsided in the 18th century, with the last witchcraft execution in England taking place in 1716. In the late 18th century, the practice of witchcraft ceased to be considered a criminal offence throughout Europe, but there were occasional unofficial witch-hunts and killings. In 1895, Bridget Cleary was beaten and burned to death by her husband in Ireland because he suspected that fairies had replaced her with a witch.
The killing of people suspected of practising malevolent sorcery has continued into the 20th and 21st centuries in various countries. To this day, many people are still killed for witchcraft, which is very sad. We hope that one day attitudes and views will change. In countries like Britain and America, the idea of evil witchcraft has mostly been passed off as Halloween fun, and the rise of Modern Witchcraft and Wicca has changed the perception of what witchcraft is. However, in many countries heavily influenced by Christianity, the belief in malevolent witchcraft and black magic persists.
By Quinn Green
Comments