A belief in witches is common to nearly all cultures throughout history. The Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Koran all warn against witchcraft and prescribe punishments for it. The Roman Catholic Inquisition sponsored witch-hunts on the grounds that witches entered into a pact with the Devil and bore his mark.
The age of widespread witch-hunts in Europe and North America lasted from about 1480 to 1700. It is estimated that between forty and sixty thousand people were killed. Contemporary witch-hunts still occur in sub-Saharan Africa, India and south Ghana.
There has never been a British Inquisition but Matthew Hopkins, self-styled ‘Witchfinder General’, was a real person. So was his colleague John Stearne. They and their fellow witchfinders used pricking, ducking and witch’s bridles on their victims.
My witches’ work is inspired by the African-American magical practices known as hoodoo and British folklore. There is an old tradition that bells warn of witches, and water and iron guard against them.