It was fascinating to look behind the legend of the “Witchfinder General,” Matthew Hopkins, alongside John Stearne. Together, the two travelled through towns and villages around Essex and beyond, helping to transform suspicions of witchcraft into trials and convictions.
This is a dense, detailed, and granular work of non-fiction that includes extensive material from individual trials and firmly places these men within their historical context. I already knew a fair amount about witch trials and this period of English history, but Gaskill still brings in a number of interesting clarifications and challenges to popular myths. For example, he highlights how Hopkins and Stearne were often responding to accusations that already existed within communities, rather than inventing them outright. Their innovations came in the methods of interrogation (“watching” and torture) and their insistence on familiars as “proofs”.
He also shows how their downfall came not only from shifting social attitudes and legal opposition, but from the sheer expense of their services; many communities eventually began to question whether “catching witches” was worth the cost.
I particularly enjoyed the exploration of the different religious sects: Presbyterianism, Calvinism, and other strands of Protestant belief, and how these intersected with contemporary fears of witchcraft. You can clearly see the mechanisms of radicalisation at work: witchcraft accusations becoming both a social scapegoat and a tool for alienation and control.
This is definitely a book that benefits from close attention, as there are a huge number of names, cases, and details to keep track of. It isn’t necessarily easy to dip in and out of casually. Still, I found it thoroughly engaging.
The legal detail was impressive; Gaskill really helps the reader understand the differences between courts, assizes, and legal procedures, as well as how the chaos and apocalyptic atmosphere of the Civil War intensified the trials.
Read if you’re into witchcraft history!
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