ENGLAND ~ A PERFECT STORM
It could be said that a perfect storm contributed to the growth of witch-hunting mania in England. The situation there was also ripe for a scapegoat. The 15th - 17th centuries, the early modern period, were a time of religious and economic upheaval. The Reformation, the dissolution of the monasteries and then the English Civil War (1647-1651) led to social change. This war had been caused by a combination of disagreements between parliament, the monarchy, and religion and left a lot of women widowed and single. People were uprooted and were trying to find new places to make homes. At the same time harvests were failing and cattle were dying; people were struggling and life for the common man was not good. Much like today, people struggled to understand what the world was coming to. They wanted something to blame, so they chose the stranger in town, the loner, the person who might have been slightly different to everyone else. In some respects, much like today. It must be them, did you see them do this, did you see them do that, mutter, mutter, evil, blame. You can imagine the whispering and gossiping that might have gone on in the villages. People were discontented, and upset, and angry, and they mistrusted those they did not know or understand. Not only was this going on, but those of the highest order were encouraging the situation. Laws were introduced; The Witchcraft Act of 1542 had criminalised witchcraft, making it an offence punishable by death. The Act was extended in 1604, and continued until the 1735 Act which ended large scale witch trials and executions, as people became more enlightened and held different beliefs. The country loved a scapegoat.
A WITCH, A WITNESS, AND OUR FAMILY'S PAST
The Lenham Connection
This leads me to a family connection to witchcraft. It was recently brought to my attention that a petition was afoot to pardon witches who had been executed several centuries ago. These particular witches had been accused and executed in Maidstone during the 17th Century. This news had possibly reached media channels due to the time of year, and Halloween approaching, who knows? Coincidentally, I also received information linked to these witches from a completely different source; a useful and knowledgeable contact of mine sent me an email concerning the Maidstone witches. I received this email in the same week as the petition for the pardons became known to me. Only days apart. Coincidence? Or the spirits at work, knowing how I crave a good family story? I like to think the latter. You can make your own mind up.
A Witness and a Witch
My contact informed me that she had recently discovered that an Elizabeth Stedman had been a key witness in the trial of Mary Reade of Lenham. Mary Reade had been accused of witchcraft and was listed as one of the Maidstone witches. If this Elizabeth Stedman knew Mary Reade of Lenham, then it is highly likely that she also would have been a resident of Lenham. As such, it was highly likely that Elizabeth Stedman would also be an ancestor of ours in some way.
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Taken from Witch Hunting and Witch Trials by C. L'Estrange Ewen
As stated in the report above, Mary Reade was a widow. At the time, being single was reason enough to cause suspicion on its own. On 22 December 1648 Mary was accused of bewitching Valentine Emmes, a farmer of Lenham, who had instantly died. Due to the crazy beliefs concerning witchcraft at the time, he had surely been the cruel victim of an evil curse. His bewitching, after all, had been endorsed by six people no less; one of whom was Elizabeth Stedman. Their testimony was validated by the discovery of a strange growth beneath Mary's tongue. This was probably some kind of abscess or ranula (a cyst under the tongue caused by a blocked saliva gland). However, at the time witches were renowned for having unusual marks, or in this case, ‘third nipples’. Obviously, this strange nipple like growth meant she must be a witch! Not only had she cursed a man to death, she had the mark of the devil upon her!
Valentine Emmes was a relatively young man at the time, and a father of young children. He was the son of Isaac Emmes and had been baptised in St Mary’s, Lenham in February 1617. His burial is recorded there on 20 December 1648, so he did indeed die around about that time, and was likely a man in his 30s. However, it is far more likely that Valentine had suffered a stroke, or a heart attack or an aneurysm or some other catastrophic collapse than have been the victim of witchcraft. At the time, these medical instances were not understood, and the mass witchcraft mania sweeping the country gave people a much more viable reason for a sudden death.
WHY MARY?
What could have caused Mary Reade to be the victim of such cruel accusations? She may have kept herself to herself, she may not have attended church, she may have looked a little odd. She had no husband, maybe she had no family either, and no man to speak up for her. Her only crime may have been looking or acting differently to the rest of the village. Valentine and Mary may have had a disagreement, or his crops could have failed; though in December I am not sure the issue would have been related to harvest. Whatever had occurred it would have taken one small whisper to build into a furore of hysteria. The accusers may have been carried forward on a torrent of fear and prejudice towards lonely, widowed women. What started as a whisper, may have led to a feeling of duty. As responsible citizens of the village they must report the incident. Thus helping rid the country of the evil forces that were causing the discontent and struggle in their lives.
Whatever happened, whatever was said, and whether it was meant to have gone so far or not, Elizabeth Stedman was one of those making the accusation. As a result, Elizabeth was an instigator of sending this poor, and likely older, woman to her unfortunate fate. This was not an isolated incident. Accusations of witchcraft were rife. Mary Reade was one of the women hanged by the neck until dead at Penenden Heath, Maidstone, Kent in 1652. The actual number of women hanged for witchcraft in England between 1647 when Mary was accused, and 1652 when she was hanged, is unknown, but it would have been hundreds at the very least. The grand total of women, and a small percentage of men, hung for witchcraft worldwide over the period ran into tens of thousands.
Reflections on a Dark Legacy
How would Mary and the other women have felt, knowing that a rope was about to be slung around their necks, their supports kicked from beneath them. Strung up on high until the life was choked out of them, and people could watch and jeer and support the actions of murderers. Imagine the fear, imagine the distress knowing that you had been falsely accused, knowing you were innocent. Imagine the feelings of injustice and of a cruel world. I wonder whether Elizabeth Stedman had attended the execution, or whether she felt any remorse. Would it have sickened her to her stomach as she watched the life breath choked from poor Mary, her twitching, spasmodic, body suddenly stilled in mid-air. Maybe Elizabeth’s sorry spirit has influenced the fact that this has been brought to my attention, and she wants forgiveness in my writing. She too was a victim of circumstance and difficult times; it is no mean fate to know you have sent another human being to their death. During these times, everyone was accusing anyone of witchcraft for any small misdemeanour or misfortune. It was a dangerous and fearful time to be alive, particularly for a woman. Accuse or be accused may have been Elizabeth’s motive and the reason behind her cruelty. Survival of the fittest!
WHO WAS ELIZABETH STEDMAN?
A Process of Elimination
From birth, marriage and death records taken directly from the Lenham parish registers, it is known that at the time there was only one possible living adult-aged Elizabeth Stedman in the village. It could be possible that a child had testified at the trial, but it would be considered unusual. It is far more likely that Elizabeth was a grown woman. Elizabeth was the wife of Henry Stedman, but her maiden name was also Stedman. During these times it was difficult for poorer members of society to leave a village. This was because parishes were responsible for their own poor. They did not want outsiders moving into their village if they were likely to need parish support. They did not want the expense of paupers who were not locals; it would have been costly enough supporting their own. As a result, people would need permission to move to a different parish; similar to people wanting to move country today. This lack of social mobility made it difficult to find a marriage partner, with genetic circles tightly bound to the limits of the parish. Interbreeding between families would have been far more common. Henry was the son of Christopher Stedman, Elizabeth was the daughter of John Stedman. They were both born in Lenham. It is highly likely there was a cousin relationship of some sort. How closely they were cousins is not possible to confirm as the parish records do not go back far enough.
