Matthew Hopkins

Matthew Hopkins was a man believed to have been involved with the murder of over 300 women. Hopkins was believed to be the son of a minister, who was also failed solicitor because he had no real qualifications. He was drawn into his new vocation after overhearing women discuss certain facts.

With any form of torture at the time made illegal, while civil war raged in England, he you used "sleep deprivation" as the sole source of his evidence to conflict prisoners on charges of witchcraft, and most of his victim’s accusers were children...

His prisoners were often kept in Chilly windowless cells and they were made to sit on hard wooden stools, for 24 hours or more, which were noted as being very uncomfortable, and if the prisoner dozed off from lack of sleep, they would be forced marched around to cell until they had woken up again.

He used starvation, solitary confinement, and binding of the legs to obtain confessions - 'they' not knowing what time of day it was would often be greeted by Hopkins with a "good morning" or "good afternoon" at random times.

With the help of two "hand-picked" accomplices, John Stearne and Mary Phillips, they would investigate any birthmarks, scars, moles, or boils, etc, and use these as a source of fact to ensure prosecution.

These were considered "dead spots" and were assumed never to bleed or cause pain when pricked with retractable knives. In fact, it caused the opposite and women would cry out in agony, and confess to crimes they did not commit. Sometimes women were tied up and left thumb to right toe, and right thumb to left toe and then thrown into water.

The idea was, if the woman floated, she had been saved by her master, and so was found guilty of refusing the baptismal waters, and therefore she will be marched off to be hung by the neck until dead. If she sank she was innocent and died without a stain on her character. In an attempt to aid the woman's buoyancy, she would be fitted with loose clothing which would cause air pockets to form around her body when she was literally thrown into water. The natural urge to gasp for air also caused victims to be more buoyant.

"Witches deny their baptisms when they covenant with the devil, water being the sole element thereof, and therefore saith he, when they be heaved into the water, the water refuseth to receive them unto her bosome."

Matthew Hopkins, "The Witchfinder General" of East Anglia between 1645 in 1647, carried out his investigations mainly at Inns in Manningtree and Mistly. Trials were held at Chelmsford sizes and they were a mockery. East Anglia became known as "witch country" because of local hysteria. Local court rooms were often chaotic and noisy, making it impossible to hear the charges brought forth, let alone any evidence.

His first victim was Elizabeth Clarke. The evidence she gave lead to 5 more women being convicted, one of which lead to even more women, creating a total find of 32 women - most of which were widows making them easy prey as they had no man to stand by them. Hopkins gave evidence at Colchester Castle, and the trial took place at Chelmsford. In all, 28 women were convicted. Four died incarcerated and the rest were hanged.

At a time when the local wage was two pence halfpenny, (2.5 pence) Hopkins was earning 20 shillings per witch, and he didn't only prosecute women. One of his victims was an 80 year old vicar named John Lowes. Lowes had held its position in the village of Brandeston for 50 years. He was tried and convicted after Hopkins carried out his usual methods of investigation and hanged. No magistrate or Judge at the time would argue against him for fear of having him cast his eye on them, for there was no legal counter-argument against charges of witchcraft. Matthew Hopkins was later accused of being in league with the devil which was why he was believed to be able to "spot" witches. In response, he published "the discovery of witches" it was published in London, 1647.

Hopkins carried on his trade for 18 months putting to death more women than all of the other Witchfinder Generals put together, and more witches were hanged in Essex than any other English county. In Scotland witches were burned at the stake.

Opinions are divided over the fate of Hopkins. Some believe he himself was found guilty of dealings with the devil and was hanged, like his victims. Others believe he returned to Manningtree in Essex and died of tuberculosis in 1647.