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By the spring of 1645, civil war had exacted a terrible toll upon England. Disease was rife, apocalyptic omens appeared in the skies, and idolators detected in every shire. In a remote corner of Essex, two obscure gentlemen began interrogating women suspected of witchcraft, triggering the most brutal witch-hunt in English history.
Witchfinders is a spellbinding study of how Matthew Hopkins, ‘the Witchfinder General’, and John Stearne extended their campaign across East Anglia, driven by godly zeal. Exploiting the anxiety and lawlessness of the times, and cheered on by ordinary folk, they extracted confessions of satanic pacts resulting in scores of executions.
Witchfinders is a spellbinding study of how Matthew Hopkins, ‘the Witchfinder General’, and John Stearne extended their campaign across East Anglia, driven by godly zeal. Exploiting the anxiety and lawlessness of the times, and cheered on by ordinary folk, they extracted confessions of satanic pacts resulting in scores of executions.
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Reviews
Gives the ordinary reader a visceral sense of mid-seventeenth-century England . . . satisfyingly complex
An evocative travelogue . . . setpieces of rich description
The incessant peculiarity of the accusations could easily make the stories told in this book seem quaint rather than horrific. But Gaskill avoids this trap by describing each case in a vivid manner, making one aware at all times of the human tragedy
A timely warning for those who think that witch trials are a matter of history
A terrible tale marvellously told . . . this is how history should be known
A very lucid and human writer, very good at setting the social context, helping you understand how the phenomenon of witchfinders came out of the dislocation of the civil war
Gaskill tells the story of the witch-hunt in full and accurate detail, for the first time, and with uncommon skill . . . A solid contribution to knowledge and a splendid example of history as gripping literature
Malcolm Gaskill patiently untangles the history of East Anglian witchcraft
Lucid and humane
Written with sympathy, respect and deep human understanding
Wonderfully detailed, well-written and judicious . . . tragic yet fascinating
A brilliant new study . . . In the vivid three-dimensionality of its dramatis personae, the eloquence of its writing, and the richness of its evocations of vanished worlds of landscape and belief . . . Gaskill displays a masterly wizardry all his own
Fascinating
Superb, chilling
A chilling history of the witch-trials
A fascinating history of the infamous witch-hunts . . . easily labelled as essential for anyone with an interest in the macabre . . . a good expose (and timely reminder) of how large-scale tragedies can occur once the right mix of circumstances are present
A terrible tale marvellously told . . . This is how history should be shown