THE BURNING TIMES

The probable number of people executed during the Burning Times was between 200,000 and 500,000. In the late1940’s and early 1950’s, several British Witches and occultists started talking about 9,000,000 “witches” killed. This number appears to have derived not from any research, but rather from an attempt to “one-up” the number of Jews exterminated by the Nazis in WW II. In order to support this contention, the definition of the Burning Times was changed. First, the period of the major witch hunts was extended from its peak, 1550 – 1675, backwards to the founding of the Inquisition (early 13th century). Second, the figures for judicial executions of heretics, notably the Cathari and the Waldensians, were included in the total. Finally, all judicial executions which took place during the Catholic “civil war” (the Avignon Papacy) were included. In effect, the definition of “witch” was changed to include “heretic”.

This definitional change is most interesting, since it parallels the definitional change that took place in the Catholic churches construction of demonic witchcraft (see, for example, Ginzburg’s “Ecstacies”). The “facts” of the situation where “changed” when the definition of the term “witch” was changed. “Witch” was defined as “not-orthodox” and, as such, included all heretics and non-Christians. To me, the interesting point is that this definition was created not by the Catholic church, but by Gerald Gardner in an attempt to prove that “witches” had suffered more than Jews.

Although the list below contains dates even earlier than the 13th century, all victims were tried, convicted, and sentenced to death from Witchcraft persecution, most from the Catholic church. I compiled this list for research and memorial purposes, and the hatchet is buried, BUT, Witchcraft persecution carries on to this very day. With that said:

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KILLING of WITCHES

Some numbers of the unknown:

17,000+ killed in Scotland from 1563 to 1603

70,000 killed in England after 1573

40,000 executed between 1600-1680 in Great Britain

22,000 executed in Bamberg, Germany  1610-1840

30,000 burned by the Inquisition

300+ killed in South Africa between 1986 and 1996

100+ killed in Indonesia, 1998

The above numbers are approximations.
Of course the list below is far from complete.
Most victims are unfortunately recordless.

THE LIST

THIS IS A VERIFIED LIST OF VICTIMS OF ‘THE BURNING TIMES’.
ALL LISTED HERE DIED AS A RESULT OF WITCHCRAFT PERSECTION.
MOST WERE INNOCENT…

American Victims
OF THE BURNING TIMES
Take a moment and give these souls the repect they deserve!

NAME	RESULT:	DATE	LOCATION
Bishop, Briget (1st in Salem Trials)	hanged	1692 – June 10	Salem, MA
Burroughs, George	executed	1692 – Aug. 19	Salem, MA
Carrier, Martha	executed	1692 – Aug. 19	Salem, MA
Corey, Martha	executed	1692 – Sept. 22	Salem, MA
Corey, Giles	pressed to death	1692 – Sept. 19	Salem, MA
Dustin, Sarah	died in prison		MA
Dyer, Mary	hanged	1660 – June 1	MA
Easty, Mary	executed	1692 – Sept. 22	Salem, MA
Glover, Goody	hanged	1688	Salem, MA
Good, Sarah	executed	1692 – July 19	Salem, MA
Greensmith, ?	hanged	1662 – Jan. 20	Hartford, CT
Hibbins, Anne	hanged	1656 – June 19	Boston, MA
Howe, Elizabeth	executed	1692 – July 19	Salem, MA
Jacobs, George	executed	1692 – Aug. 19	Salem, MA
Jones, Margaret	executed	1648 – June 15	Charlestown
Lake, Alice	executed	1651	Boston, MA
Martin, Susannah	executed	1692 – July 19	Salem, MA
Nurse, Rebecca	executed	1692 – July 19	Salem, MA
Osburne, Sarah	died in prison	1692 – May 10
Parker, Alice	executed	1692 – Sept. 22	Salem, MA
Parker, Mary	executed	1692 – Sept. 22	Salem, MA
Procter, John	executed	1692 – Aug. 19	Salem, MA
Pudeator, Anne	executed	1692 – Sept. 22	Salem, MA
Reed, Wilmot	executed	1692 – Sept. 22	Salem, MA
Scott, Margaret	executed	1692 – Sept. 22	Salem, MA
Wardwell, Samuel	executed	1692 – Sept. 22	Salem, MA
Wildes, Sarah	executed	1692 – July 19	Salem, MA
Willard, John	executed	1692 – Aug. 19	Salem, MA
Younge, Alse	hanged	1647 – May 26	Connecticut

 

 

English Victims
OF THE BURNING TIMES
Take a moment and give these souls the repect they deserve!

NAME

RESULT:

DATE

LOCATION

Adamson, Francis	executed	1652	Durham
Albano, Peter of	died in prison	1310
Allen, Joan	hanged at the Old Bailey	1650	London
Arnold, ?	hanged	1574	Barking
Ashby, Anne	hanged	1652 – July	Maidstone
Baguely, Mary	hanged	1675	Chester
Baker, Anne	executed	1619	Leicester
Barber, Mary	executed	1612 – July 22	Northhampton
Barclay, Margaret
Bateman, Mary		1808	Yorkshire
Berrye, Agnes	hanged	1616	Enfield
Bennet, Elizabeth	executed	1582	St. Osyth
Bill, Arthur	executed	1612 – July 22	Northhampton
Bodenham, Anne	hanged	1653	Salisbury
Boram, ? (mrs.)	hanged	1655	Bury St Edmunds
Boram, ?	hanged	1655	Bury St Edmunds
Boleyn, Anne	beheaded	1536 – May 19	London
Bolingbroke, Roger	hanged, drawn and quartered	1441 – Nov. 18	Tyburn
Brigge, Mabel	executed	1538	York
Browne, Agnes	executed	1612 – July 22	Northhampton
Browne, Joan	executed	1612 – July 22	Northhampton
Browne, Mary	hanged	1652 – July	Maidstone
Brooks, Jane	hanged	1658 – March 26
Bulcock, John	executed	1612	Lancaster
Bulcock, Jane	executed	1612	Lancaster
Bull, Edmund	hanged	1631	Taunton
Bulmer, Matthew	hanged	1649	Newcastle
Calles, Helen	executed	1595 – Dec. 1	Braynford
Cardien, Joan	executed	1645 – Sept. 29	Faversham, Kent
Chambers, ?	died in prison	1693
Cockie, Isabel	burned at a cost of   105 silver pieces	1596
“Old Widow  Coneman”	executed	1699	Coggeshall
Cox, Julian	executed	1663	Taunton
Crierson, Robert	executed	1594	North Berwick
Cullender, Rose	executed	1664 – March 17	Bury St Edmunds
Cunny, Joan	hanged	1589	Chelmsford
Demdike, Elizabeth	died in prison	1612	Lancaster
Deshayes, Catherine	burned	1680 – Feb. 22
Device, Elizabeth	executed	1612	Lancaster
Device, James	executed	1612	Lancaster
Device, Alizon	executed	1612	Lancaster
“Dummy”	mob violence	1865 – Aug. 3	Sible Hedingham
Duny, Amy	executed	1664 – March 17	Bury St Edmunds
Edwards, Susanna	hanged	1682 – Aug. 25	Bideford
Flower, Joan	died in custody	1619	Lincoln
Flower, Margaret	executed	1619 – March	Lincoln
Flower, Phillippa	executed	1619 – March	Lincoln
Foster, Anne	hanged	1674	Northhampton
Frances, Elizabeth	executed	1579	Chelmsford
Gabley,	executed	1582	King’s Lynn
Goodridge, Alse	executed	1597	Darbie
Green, Ellen	executed	1619	Leicester
Hacket, Margaret	executed	1585 – Feb. 19	Tyburn
Harrisson, Joanna	executed	1606	Hertford
Harrisson, ? (sib.)	executed	1606	Hertford
Hewitt, Katherine	executed	1612	Lancaster
Holt, Jane	executed	1645 – Sept. 29	Faversham, Kent
Hunt, Joan	hanged	1615	Middlesex
Huxley, Catherine	hanged	1652	Worcester
Jordemaine, Margery	burned	1441 – Oct. 27	Smithfield
Kempe, Ursula	executed	1582	St. Osyth
Kerke, Anne	executed	1599	Tyburn
Jenkenson, Helen	executed	1612 – July 22	Northhampton
Knott, Elizabeth	hanged	1649	St. Albans
Lakeland, ?	burned	1645	Ipswich
Lamb, Dr	stoned, mobviolence	1640	St. Paul’s Cross, London
Lloyd, Temperance	hanged	1682 – Aug. 25	Bideford
Louis, ?	executed	1646	Suffolk
Lowes, John	hanged	1645	Bury
Martyn, Anne	hanged	1652 – July	Maidstone
Molland, Alice	executed	1684	Exeter
Newell, John	executed	1595 Dec. 1	Barnett
Newell, Joane	executed	1595 Dec. 1	Barnett
Newman, Elizabeth	executed	1653	Whitechapel
Nottingham, John of	died in custody	1324	Coventry
Nutter, Alice	executed	1612	Lancaster
Oliver, Mary	burned	1658	Norwich
Orchard, ?	executed	1658	Salisbury
Osborne, ?, (mr.)	mob violence	1750 – April 22	Tring, Herefordshire
Osborne, ?	mob violence	1750 – April 22	Tring, Herefordshire
Palmer, John	hanged	1649	St. Albans
Pannel, Mary	executed	1603	Yorkshire
Peterson, Joan	hanged	1652 – April 12	Tyburn
Philipps, Mary	executed	1705 – March 17	Northamtonshire
Powle, ?	executed	1652	Durham
Prentice, Joan	hanged	1589	Chelmsford
Preston, Jennet	executed	1612	York
Reade, Mary	hanged	1652 – July	Maidstone
Redfearne, Anne	executed	1612	Lancaster
Robey, Isobel	executed	1612	Lancaster
Robson, Donald	executed	1590	North Berwick
Russel, Alice	mob violence	1808 – May 20	Great Paxton
Rutter, Elizabeth	hanged	1616	Middlesex
Samuels, ?		1593 – April 4	Warboys
Samuels, ?		1593 – April 4	Warboys
Samuels, ?		1593 – April 4	Warboys

Sawyer, Elizabeth	hanged	1621 – April 19	Tyburn
Shaw, Elinor	executed	1705 – March 17	Northamtonshire
Smith, Mary	hanged	1616	King’s Lynn
Style, Elizabeth	died in prison	1664	Taunton
Sutton, ?	executed	1613	Bedford
Sutton, Mary	executed	1613	Bedford
Tod, Christian	executed	1590	North Berwick
Townsend, Amey	mob violence	1700 – Jan 8	St. Albans
Trembles, Mary	hanged	1682 – Aug. 25	Bideford
Turner, Ann	murdered	1875
Upney, Joan	hanged	1589	Chelsford
Utley, ?	hanged	1630	Lancaster
Waterhouse, Agnes	executed	1566 – July 29	Chelmsford
Waterhouse, ?	hanged	1565	Dorset
Wanderson, ? wife	executed	1644 – Jan.
Wanderson, ? 2nd wife	executed	1644 – Jan.
Whittle, Anne	executed	1612	Lancaster
Williford, Joan	executed	1645 – Sept. 29	Faversham, Kent
Willimot, Joan	executed	1619	Leicester
Wilson, Anne	hanged	1652 – July	Maidstone
Wright, Mildred	hanged	1652 – July	Maidstone