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or impaired, or to hurte or destroy any person in his or her bodie, although the same be not effected and done; that then all and everie such person and persons so offending, and beinge thereof lawfullie convicted, shall for the said Offence suffer Imprisonment by the space of one whole yeare, without baile or maineprise,1 and once in everie quarter of the saide yeare, shall in some Markett Towne, upon the Markett Day, or at such tyme as any Faire shalbe kepte there, stande openlie upon the Pillorie by the space of six houres, and there shall openlie confesse his or her error and offence; and if any person or persons beinge once convicted of the same offences as is aforesaide, doe eftsoones [again] perpetrate and commit the like offence, that then everie such Offender, beinge of any the saide offences the second tyme lawfullie and duelie convicted and attainted as is aforesaide, shall suffer paines of death as a Felon or Felons, and shall loose the benefit and privilidge of Clergie and Sanctuarie: Savinge to the wife of such person as shall offend in any thinge contrarie to this Act, her title of dower; and also to the heire and successour of everie such person his or theire titles of Inheritance succession and other Rights, as though no such Attaindor of the Ancestor or Predecessor had been made; Provided alwaies, That if the Offender in any the Cases aforesaide shall happen to be a Peer of this Realme, then his Triall therein to be had by his Peers, as it is used in cases of Felonie or Treason, and not otherwise.

Note

1. That is, no possibility of getting release by finding sureties.

Source: The Statutes of the Realm (London: G. Eyre and A. Strahan, 1810–1818), v. 4, 1028–29.

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7. The Law of the Colony of Connecticut, 1642

If any man or woman be a witch (that is) hath or consulteth with a familiar spirit, they shall be put to death. Ex: 22.18: Lev: 20.27: Deu: 18.10, 11.

Source: The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, from April 1636 to October 1776 (Hartford: Brown & Parsons, 1850–1890), v. 1, 77.

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8. The Case of Goodwife Wright, Virginia, 1626

Goodwife Wright lived in the English colony of Virginia, which was almost twenty years old when she was called before the Virginia Council to answer charges of witchcraft in 1626. Only four years earlier, the English colonists had endured a calamitous surprise attack led by the Indian leader, Opechancanough, in which over one-third of the 1,230 colonists were killed. By 1625 the colony’s population had barely rebounded, with an estimated 1,300 people living in the colony. Far more colonists died of disease than at the hands of Native Americans. Death, then, was a constant preoccupation, and concerns about mortality feature in the accusations against Wright. Wright was married, as the testimony below indicates, and she lived in Kickotan, which is now within the borders of Hampton, Virginia. In 1625, women comprised some 22 percent of colonial inhabitants.1

These council proceedings from two days in September are the only source we have for Wright’s status as a witch. How safe is it to draw conclusions about English witch beliefs generally in light of this fragmentary evidence? What can these council records tell you about what people in Virginia thought a witch did? How many people took part in the trial? In what ways did her accusers believe that Wright subverted gender roles? If you find the original spelling hard to understand, try reading the text out loud.

11 September 1626

Liut Gieles Allintone sworen and examined sayeth, That he harde Sargeant Booth saye that he was croste by a woman and for a twelve months space he havinge very fayre game to shute at, yet he could never kill any thinge but this deponent cannot say that it was good wiefe Wright. Fourther this deponent sayeth, that he had spoken to good wiefe Wrighte for to bringe his wiefe to bed, but the saide goodwife beinge left handed, his wiefe desired him to get Mrs Grave to be her midwiefe, which this deponent did, and sayeth that the next daye after his wiefe was delivered, the saide