Dr Rebecca Warren: Witchcraft in Seventeenth Century Kent: Murder and Mercy at the Maidstone Assizes

Sat 26 April, 4.30 - 5.30pm

AH3.31 lecture theatre, third floor, Augustine House, CT1 2YA

Witchcraft in seventeenth-century England has been the subject of countless stories and films but what was the reality behind the image? This talk examines the sad case of six women accused of witchcraft, who stood trial at Maidstone Assizes in the 1650s, when Oliver Cromwell was Lord Protector. How did they come to be there? And what does their case tell us about the ‘witchcraft craze’ that swept through Britain in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries? Starting with a single, local witchcraft trial, this talk looks at the wider political and social context of the proceedings, and exposes the way rumour, accusation, indictment and trial could engulf communities and destroy lives.

Please note that unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances beyond her control, Rebecca Warren will not be able to give her paper. We apologise and to ensure this presentation on such a very interesting subject is not lost, Sheila Sweetinburgh, following discussions with Rebecca, will deliver the session in her place. We hope this does not spoil your enjoyment and we thank you for your patience in this matter.

Rebecca Warren is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent, specialising in the religious history of the British Civil Wars and the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. She is currently writing a monograph on ‘The Interregnum Church in England, c.1649-1662’. She is an historical consultant to the Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon and has taught a range of early modern undergraduate and adult education courses at the University of Kent. 

Tickets

Tickets are £10 per event. If you are booking 10 or more tickets of any given type (e.g. 10 tickets to one lecture, or 1 ticket to 10 lectures) within a single transaction, then a discount of £2 per ticket will be applied at the checkout, and you will only pay £8 per ticket.