The witches of St Osyth : persecution, betrayal and murder in Elizabethan England / Marion Gibson, University of Exeter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gibson, Marion, 1970- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Witch hunting--England--St. Osyth--History.

Witch hunting.

Witchcraft--England--St. Osyth--History.

Witchcraft.

Trials (Witchcraft)--England--St. Osyth--History.

Trials (Witchcraft).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxiii, 329 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY, USA : Cambridge University Press, 2022.

Summary:

An emotive, haunting story of a community torn apart, the Essex witch accusations and trial of 1581-2 are, taken together, one of the pivotal instances of that malign and destructive wave of misogynistic persecution which periodically broke over early modern England. Yet, for all their importance in the overall study of witchcraft, the so-called witches of St Osyth have largely been overlooked by scholars. Marion Gibson now sets right that neglect. Using fresh archival sources - and investigating not just the village itself, but also its neighbouring Elizabethan hamlets and habitations - the author offers revelatory new insights into the sixteen women and one man accused of sorcery while asking wider, provocative questions about the way history is recollected and interpreted. Combining landscape detective work, a reconstruction of lost spaces and authoritative readings of crucial documents, Gibson skilfully unlocks the poignant personal histories of those denied the chance to speak for themselves.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Dec 2022).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781108853187

1108853188

9781108857789

1108857787

9781108859608

1108859607