Florence Newton mid 17th Century. A trial most famous in Ireland was that of Florence Newton also known as "the Witch of Youghal". She was accused of bewitching people into fits and of killing them with these fits. Her trial unlike most trials involved no torture. One young lady who was bewitched by her went through fits of which many things were vomitted up by her and many different things were thrown at her. If Florence newton was left unhandcuffed the young lady would have fits and fall ill but if handcuffed would remain calm and have no fits.
Dolly Pentreath 1692-1777. Was born in Cornwall, England. Never married but had a son. She was acredited with the knowledge of astrology and possessed magical powers which people would come and use her for. She was able to use her powers for good and bad.
Elisabeth Sawyer ?-1621. Elisabeth Sawyer also Known as "Witch of Edmonton" was accused of bewitching her neighors children and cattle because they refused to buy her brooms. When she was being harrassed she finally confessed to being a witch. She was hanged for confessing to be a witch.
Toad-Witch these are self-initiated witches in English folkore who are accredited with possessing the power to overlook or cast the evil-eye over a person. They were powerful and most feared. They had powers also over horses, pigs and men. It was considered dangerous being a Toad-Witch as one was likely to go insane because of the supernatural powers possessed and usually died a violent death.
Witch of Endor was accredited with raising of the spirit of Samuel at the request of King Saul of Israel. In the bible it is said that Saul wished to find out whether he should fight the Philistine Army. Some say that the witch was a fake and that she threw her voice to sound like Samuel when in fact she lied about seeing god or angels, about incantations. Some believed that there may have been a spirit conjured but that it was more likely to have been the Devil but some believed that it was not the Devil as he would have been repelled by the word God or Jehovah and that the Devil would not have punished someone but would have encouraged them to do more evil.
Joan Wytte 1775-1813. Cornish woman also known by the name of the Fighting Fairy Woman of Bodmin. She was said to be clairvoyant and that people would seek her services as a seer, diviner and healer. She was known to visit a holy well where she tied clouties (a charm that is a strip of cloth taken from a sick person. Which would decay and was suppose to heal the person in a magical way. Still done today.) on the branches of trees.
Later on as a result of a tooth abscess she became very ill-tempered and would shout at people. She became involved in a large fight with people where she used her remarkable strength and bashed people and threw them across a room. She was arrested and sent to jail where she died as a result of the poor conditions. When she died her body was dissected and the skeleton was placed in a coffin, later on it was recovered and used as a joke in a seance which went wrong as it was alleged the lid of the coffin in which the skeletal remains was placed, flew open and started going around and assaulting the people taking part in the seance. After this the bones were to pass onto an antique dealer, and later on a founder of a Museum of Witchcraft. It was later said that while on display in the museum they started to experience poltergeist at which a witch was brought in to consult them of what to do and it was said that Wytte's spirit said that she wished to be laid in a proper burial.
The empty coffin remains on display along with a plaque accounting her story.
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I know'd it, know'd it,Indeed I know'd it brotherI know'd it
- Weeee!Dem bones gonna rise again.- Anonymous Early AMerican Ballad
Joke of the day:
An old witch thought that she would make a fortune telling fortunes, so she bought a crystal ball, but she couldn't see any future in it!
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