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- This is the only mass
witch trial in Ireland.
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- A woman seems to become the
trigger of demonic possession.
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- She's crying out in
pain, whole body tremors.
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- The reason the demon is
afflicting this person
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is because a witch
has sent the demon.
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- She has tortured herself
by ghostly attackers.
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It is a haunted place and it's
haunted by this witch trial.
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[screaming]
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[whispering]
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♪ ♪
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- Islandmagee is
in County Antrim.
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County Antrim is what is
now Northern Ireland.
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It sticks out just above
Belfast in Northern Ireland.
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Ann Haltridge is
an elderly matriarch.
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She's Presbyterian
of Scots descent
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and she's also the widow of
Reverend John Haltridge.
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- Ann Haltridge moved
to Islandmagee
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in order to spend her last
years looked after by
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her son's family.
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[Andrew Sneddon] Ann
lived in Knowehead House.
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It was a stone's throw away
from the Presbyterian church.
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Ann lives there with her
son James and his wife,
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two children and his
servant, Margaret Spear.
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[Ronald Hutton] But everything
starts to go wrong.
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[crow cawing]
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♪ ♪
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[Andrew Sneddon] Ann Haltridge
is reading on her own
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and suddenly stones
start hitting her.
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She can't see where
they're from.
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They're coming
through the window
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and bashing her right in
the back of the head.
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[Ronald Hutton] And
the household sees
weird things going on.
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Bedclothes are disarranged.
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Some of them are rearranged
in the shape of a
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corpse on the bed.
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[Andrew Sneddon] She goes to
bed that night and what she
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starts feeling, terrifyingly,
is this presence crawling
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slowly up her feet, up her
legs and over her head.
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She hears them
scratching and noises.
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So Ann Haltridge is beginning
to wonder what's happening.
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♪ ♪
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- Ann is also haunted by an
apparition of a demonic boy.
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[Andrew Sneddon] And
he is a small boy.
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She tells the
household they think
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is basically a beggar.
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[Marion Gibson] She doesn't
think so and whether
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he's real or not,
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he seems to her to be a
manifestation of the devil.
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[Andrew Sneddon] The
main witness is the
servant, Margaret Spear.
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[Marion Gibson] The boy says the
devil has taught him to read.
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To people in the 18th
century and particularly
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extreme Protestants, like
the Haltridge family,
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they would have thought of
it as a demonic phenomenon.
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[Andrew Sneddon] This is a
Presbyterian Protestant
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community where you
learn about God.
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You learn about your duties
to the Christian faith
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through reading.
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It's very important.
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[narrator] Then, as suddenly as
he appeared, the boy is gone.
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For several months, an uneasy
peace falls on Knowehead House.
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But on the 12th of February,
1711, the boy returns.
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[Andrew Sneddon] He's threatened
to kill everybody in the house.
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He produces a sword and
starts digging a grave.
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He says to Margaret Spear,
"I'm digging this grave for
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your master, James Haltridge.
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"He's dead. I've killed him."
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We know that that's
not the case.
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♪ ♪
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[Marion Gibson] What Ann and
her family are experiencing
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is a phenomenon
called obsession.
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And that's when the devil
is trying to possess you,
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but actually he's
outside your body.
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He can't quite get in.
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So obsessed people
would be people
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who would see strange visions,
to whom weird things like
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stone throwing might happen.
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And this was all because
the devil was thought
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to be controlling their body
and their mind externally.
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- People could be tormented
by demons in various ways.
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This so-called demonic
obsession might proceed
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in some extreme situations
into full bodily possession,
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whereby the demon ceases
merely to menace externally
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the victim, but actually
enters the body.
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Bad spirits could get inside
a person through the mouth
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or through some other orifice.
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[Andrew Sneddon] What starts off
as something outside of the body
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starts to internalize.
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[Ronald Hutton] Ann claims to
be the victim of stabbing pains
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administered by
invisible antagonists,
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who are demons as far as the
Presbyterians are concerned.
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[Andrew Sneddon] With anything
like this, where they're being
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attacked by a demonic entity,
the first port of call
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is the local minister,
Reverend Sinclair.
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He is a leading man in
that small community.
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His church is at the
center of that community.
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He believes in witchcraft.
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He lives in a community that
believes in witchcraft.
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Reverend Sinclair comes
in and starts praying
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for Mrs. Halditch.
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If this was a Roman
Catholic priest,
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he may have performed
the ritual of exorcism.
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- If you're trying to
rescue a possessed person
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from the demon that
is possessing them,
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what you're doing is you're
exorcising that person,
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commanding the demon to depart.
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[Andrew Sneddon] And you're
using the sign of the cross.
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Sometimes you use a
bit of holy water.
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[Julian Goodare] Protestants
reject all these consecrated
objects and they say,
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"Well, that's just Catholic
superstition. That's wicked."
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But as a result, they
leave themselves
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with a relatively limited
range of techniques.
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[Andrew Sneddon]
They can't command.
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What they can do is pray.
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[narrator] To ease her
terrible suffering,
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Reverend Sinclair prays
for Ann Haltridge.
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But it is not enough.
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Her condition worsens.
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And on February 27th,
1711, she dies.
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The cause of death, unknown.
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♪ ♪
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[Marion Gibson] You'd expect
the period of mourning for her
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to be very solemn,
to be very quiet.
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[Ronald Hutton] But
shortly after her death,
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another extraneous relative
arrives at Islandmagee.
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[Andrew Sneddon] James'
cousin, Mary Dunbar.
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She is from Castlereagh , which
is just outside of Belfast.
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She's a stranger
to Islandmagee.
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She says she hasn't been within
15 miles of the place before.
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[Ronald Hutton] Mary is around
18 years old and no sooner has
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she settled into the household
than all the weirdness
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breaks out again.
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[Marion Gibson] On
the 27th of February,
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Mary Dunbar finds
a fabric parcel.
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[Ronald Hutton] An apron that's
been tied up in weird knots.
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Now, the tying and
untying of knots
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is a traditional means of
working magic by witches.
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- Many cultures have
elaborate protective magics,
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typically a knotting
spell will be a way
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of trying to set a spell.
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You work the spell and at
the moment where you say
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you conclude the spell,
you tie the knot
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and the knot acts
to fix the spell.
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All of this is
sympathetic magic.
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[Andrew Sneddon] The sympathy's
between the intended victim
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and their belongings.
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So you do one and it
happens to the other.
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[Ronald Hutton] So it's assumed
that because the knots are in a
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weird pattern that there's
some kind of magic involved.
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♪ ♪
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Guess what?
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Mary Dunbar elects to untie the
knots and see what happens.
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[narrator] Mary Dunbar pulls
at the cursed knots.
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The apron unfolds and a curious
object falls to the floor.
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A bonnet that belonged to the
recently deceased Ann Haltridge.
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[Marion Gibson] By untying it,
Mary seems to have let out
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some sort of demonic force,
which then fastens on her.
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[Andrew Sneddon] And witches
use something belonging to the
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victim to bewitch it.
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Whatever they do to the
object belonging to them
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happens to the individual.
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[Ronald Huttdon] It's now Mary
Dunbar who is the apparent
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center of the demonic attacks.
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[Andrew Sneddon] She's
screaming out, caught with a
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stabbing pain and then she goes
into convulsive fits.
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♪ ♪
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[Darren Oldridge] Demonic
possession was recognized
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by well-established symptoms.
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Physical contortion,
unnatural bodily strength.
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Endless fits.
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Trances.
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[Darren Oldridge] And also a
recoiling from holy objects
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like blessed water or crucifixes
and simply the word of God.
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Now one further indication
of demonic possession
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was that a possessed person
would accuse somebody else
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of casting a demon
into their body.
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It's because of this
that very often,
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demon possession was
associated with witchcraft.
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[Ronald Hutton] Mary Dunbar
claims to be attacked
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by the spirits of witches.
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[Andrew Sneddon] She starts to
go into trances and she starts
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to see the images of
women attacking her.
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[Ronald Hutton] She can
visualize their features.
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[narrator] In the midst of
the spectral attack,
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she hears the name of
one of her tormentors,
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Janet Carson, a local
woman unknown to Mary.
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[Ronald Hutton] The Reverend
Sinclair proceeds to
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investigate things
as best he can.
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[Marion Gibson] There's a test
that's been performed
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since the 16th century
for witchcraft,
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which is to bring the
suspected witch close
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to the supposedly obsessed
or possessed person
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and see if they react to
it, even if they can't see
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the witchcraft suspect.
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[Andrew Sneddon] The approach of
the person who has bewitched you
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will make you worse.
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Sympathetic magic, the cause
and the effect coming together.
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[Marion Gibson] So this is
done with Janet Carson.
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She's brought into the
room and of course the
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victim does react and
that's held to confirm
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that she must in
fact be a witch.
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[narrator] Janet Carson is
the first person accused of
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witchcraft in Islandmagee, but
she won't be the last.
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♪ ♪
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[Andrew Sneddon] It made
perfect sense that the
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Haltridge households would
be attacked by the devil.
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They were pious.
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It was a godly household.
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It was a light in the darkness.
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[birds chirping]
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So the question is,
why Mary Dunbar?
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She's young, she's educated,
she's the type the devil
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would try to tempt,
try to corrupt.
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He is after all in
the popular mind,
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the great corruptor
and the great tempter.
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♪ ♪
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And she's a perfect target,
just like Ann was before her.
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Mary Dunbar's fits continue.
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Convulsive, whole body
tremors that were lasting
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up to eight minutes and
she's able to point
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towards two further women.
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Janet Liston and
Elizabeth Sellor.
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They're a mother and a daughter.
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[narrator] Mary can even
describe the witches.
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They're short and one
struggles to walk,
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but Reverend Sinclair
is cautious.
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Can he trust these visions?
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[Andrew Sneddon] They
are living in an era of
increasing skepticism.
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They know that
these symptoms can
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and have been faked in the past
and they want to make sure.
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They don't want to send
an innocent person
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to jail or worse.
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So they continue to test.
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[Julian Goodare] There is a
passage in the Bible that says,
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"Believe not every spirit,
"but try the spirits
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whether they are of God."
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If you encounter a
spirit, if you encounter
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something supernatural, you
have to work out what it is.
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00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:57,320
If somebody else has
encountered a spirit
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or encountered
something supernatural,
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00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,600
you have to question them
to work out what it is.
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It could be a good thing or
it could be a bad thing.
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00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,200
The good spirits,
you've got angels,
243
00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:11,680
bad spirits, the
devil and demons.
244
00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:17,040
So if you encounter a spirit,
it could well be a demon.
245
00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,280
[Marion Gibson] Again,
a test is arranged.
246
00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:23,120
A lineup is organized, a
bit like an identity parade
247
00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:26,680
and it contains about
30 different women.
248
00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:28,840
It's expected that
because Mary Dunbar
249
00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:31,120
is not from Islandmagee,
that it will be a
250
00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:32,760
good test of her
to see if she can
251
00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:35,080
recognize the women whose
names she's already
252
00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:36,800
been mentioning as suspects.
253
00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,360
Not only does she pick out
the suspects in the lineup,
254
00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:46,520
she actually reacted in a
very extreme manner to them.
255
00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:51,120
This is thought again to be
proof of their witchcraft.
256
00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:56,320
[Andrew Sneddon] Reverend
Sinclair quizzes Janet
and Elizabeth
257
00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:00,880
on the Bible, but also to say
the Lord's Prayer.
258
00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:04,000
This is a classic
test of witchcraft.
259
00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:06,880
[narrator] Janet Liston and
Elizabeth Sellor stumble
260
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:09,600
as they recite the
Lord's Prayer.
261
00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,440
To the pious, this is a sign.
262
00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:14,160
The devil has their tongue.
263
00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:17,920
[Ronald Hutton] This in the end
convinces the Reverend
264
00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:22,400
that there is a case and he then
takes it to the authorities.
265
00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,320
[Andrew Sneddon] To do
so, they have to go to
the main legal power
266
00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,480
in the local area,
Mayor Edward Clements,
267
00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:33,280
he is justice to the peace
and they investigate
268
00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:35,360
charges that are serious.
269
00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:38,440
They are responsible for
drawing up witness statements
270
00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:41,320
or depositions and
for jailing people
271
00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:43,840
to appear in the criminal court.
272
00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:45,560
They are usually gentry.
273
00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,040
They're usually of
independent means
274
00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:51,880
and they're Protestants
and they decide whether
275
00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:53,240
it's worthy of looking into.
276
00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:57,400
In this case, Mayor Edward
Clements does investigate it.
277
00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:03,200
[narrator] March 4th, 1711,
Mayor Clements arrives
278
00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:06,600
in Islandmagee to launch
his investigation.
279
00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:09,200
Here, he is told
a new apparition
280
00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:14,520
threatens Mary Dunbar, but
only the Christian name
281
00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,880
of this elusive witch
is known, Catherine.
282
00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:22,120
[Marion Gibson] This time the
tests are slightly different.
283
00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:26,200
Edward Clements rounds up all
the Catherines in his district
284
00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:28,480
and brings them to Mary
to see if she knows
285
00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:31,680
which one is the
witch and she does.
286
00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:33,760
She picks out
Catherine M'Calmond.
287
00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:38,080
Catherine M'Calmond's
house is searched.
288
00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:41,960
[Andrew Sneddon] Edward
Clements is following very,
289
00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:45,680
very careful instructions in
our Justice of the Peace Manual
290
00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:49,920
that summarizes the 1586
Irish Witchcraft Act
291
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,880
that makes witchcraft
illegal in Ireland.
292
00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:54,280
They're governed
by English law,
293
00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:58,000
even though they are Scottish
Presbyterians in Ireland.
294
00:16:58,080 --> 00:16:59,800
And what the authorities
are looking for
295
00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:03,280
are things like wax images
into which pins or thorns
296
00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:05,760
might've been stuck
in order to afflict
297
00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:07,720
Mary Dunbar and others.
298
00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:10,360
They're also looking
for animal familiars.
299
00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:12,640
[Andrew Sneddon] This
is an English trope,
300
00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:16,480
but they're looking for it
and they can't find anything.
301
00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:19,040
[door creaks shut]
302
00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:25,000
[narrator] Back at Knowehead
House, the apparent demonic
303
00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:30,040
possession of Mary Dunbar
grows ever more intense.
304
00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:34,240
[Marion Gibson] There's
this circus that develops
around Mary Dunbar.
305
00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:37,040
She is talking about
demonic visions.
306
00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:38,680
[Andrew Sneddon] Five
women have been accused.
307
00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:40,520
How many more will be accused?
308
00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:44,080
How many more people
will be dragged
309
00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:45,880
from their homes and tested?
310
00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,120
[wind blowing]
311
00:17:53,120 --> 00:17:57,560
♪ ♪
312
00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:00,400
[Marion Gibson] Until
the early 18th century,
313
00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:03,960
Irish people don't seem to
have been nearly as obsessed
314
00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:06,440
with witches as was
the rest of Europe.
315
00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:09,800
[Andrew Sneddon] Although there
are plenty of accusations,
316
00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:13,120
there are very few
formal prosecutions.
317
00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:16,240
There was a famous case
of Alice Kyteler,
318
00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:18,880
the Kilkenny in 1324.
319
00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:21,680
She runs away, but her
associate is executed.
320
00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:27,920
In 1655, with Marion Fisher,
it's quashed and she's let off.
321
00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:31,160
Florence Newton in 1661.
322
00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,680
She is accused of
bewitching a young servant.
323
00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:40,160
It's assumed she was found
guilty and executed.
324
00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:41,680
[trap door bangs open]
325
00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:43,560
[Marion Gibson] Irish people
seem to have other ways
326
00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:46,960
of explaining the supernatural,
whether that's to do
327
00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:51,440
with fairies or ghosts or
supernatural creatures.
328
00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:56,720
[Andrew Sneddon]
But in Islandmagee,
329
00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:58,960
you're dealing
with a different belief system.
330
00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:02,680
You're dealing
with Presbyterians
331
00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:04,760
looking for new lives
coming from Scotland.
332
00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:07,720
[Diane Purkiss] The
Elizabethan settlement policy
333
00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:11,520
was in full swing in the
North, and the idea was
334
00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:15,280
basically to displace the
indigenous Irish population,
335
00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:17,520
which was Catholic
and Gaelic speaking,
336
00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:20,080
and replace it with
an English-speaking
337
00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:23,440
Protestant population, mostly
imported from Scotland.
338
00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:28,320
It's that population who are
already coming from a culture
339
00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:30,480
where witchcraft
beliefs are common
340
00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:32,680
and witchcraft
prosecution's normal.
341
00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:35,200
Therefore, it's significant
that the Islandmagee trial
342
00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:39,280
happens fairly far north at
exactly the part of Ireland
343
00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:42,440
that's been most thickly
settled with Protestants.
344
00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:44,920
♪ ♪
345
00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:49,480
[Ronald Hutton] They are also
Presbyterians, members of the
346
00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:51,800
Scottish Protestant Church,
which is far more
347
00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:55,240
radically Protestant than
the Church of Ireland,
348
00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:58,000
and in a mutual
hostility with it.
349
00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:02,160
It's an island of
potential witch hunting
350
00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:04,800
transplanted to a new land.
351
00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:07,320
[birds chirping]
352
00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,000
[Andrew Sneddon] They brought a
genuine belief in the devil,
353
00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:14,960
and they brought a
belief in witchcraft.
354
00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:16,920
[indistinct shoutiing]
355
00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,800
But this is the
early 18th century,
356
00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:22,240
and the court system that
the Justice of the Peace
357
00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:24,800
has to use is an
English imposition.
358
00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:29,520
[Marion Gibson] Witch
trials had become harder
and harder to hold.
359
00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:31,680
Judges were much more
resistant to the idea of
360
00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:34,720
holding a witch trial
or allowing the suspect
361
00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:36,320
to be convicted.
362
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:40,080
By that point, people have
started asking better questions
363
00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:42,680
about whether witchcraft
exists or not.
364
00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,360
There were changes in the way
that evidence was demanded.
365
00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:49,040
There needed to be more
evidence, basically,
366
00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:51,600
before they could be convicted.
367
00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,200
[Andrew Sneddon] What
they really want is a
voluntary confession.
368
00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:59,960
You cannot torture under English
common law for a confession.
369
00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:03,840
So the physical
evidence of witchcraft
370
00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:05,200
becomes more important.
371
00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:11,280
♪ ♪
372
00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:14,520
So Mary Dunbar. You don't
have to look too hard
373
00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:15,960
for the evidence, really.
374
00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:17,560
She is a body of evidence.
375
00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:20,760
The demon inside her
doesn't want to hear
376
00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:22,840
the prayers of Sinclair.
377
00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:25,440
So reacts to the prayers,
and she goes into
378
00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:26,960
fits and convulsions.
379
00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:29,800
Her teeth have been so
tightly clenched together,
380
00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:31,960
they have to feed
her through a quill
381
00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:34,160
and open her teeth with a key.
382
00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:37,880
Her spectral visions gets worse.
383
00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:42,360
[♪ discordant music]
384
00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:44,320
She names her further
two suspects,
385
00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,360
Janet Main and Janet Latimer.
386
00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:54,320
Janet Main is from Broadisland,
outside of Islandmagee.
387
00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,800
The net of suspects
has been cast wider.
388
00:21:58,160 --> 00:21:59,880
♪ ♪
389
00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:03,800
Janet Latimer is unable to
answer questions put to her,
390
00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:05,760
and she can't say
the Lord's Prayer.
391
00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:07,440
Neither can Janet Main.
392
00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:11,280
Mayor Clements has
got enough evidence,
393
00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:15,800
so he puts them in
jail to await trial,
394
00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:17,760
which will be in a
few weeks' time.
395
00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,920
They'll also be put
in chains and bolts
396
00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:25,720
to stop them leaving
their body spectrally.
397
00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:31,640
Iron is used to counteract
magic in Ireland.
398
00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:35,640
It is a very folkloric thing.
399
00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:38,040
It's embedded in the
popular consciousness.
400
00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:41,240
It looks strange to modern
eyes, but putting them in
401
00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:43,440
chains is very important
to the process of
402
00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:44,920
protecting Mary Dunbar.
403
00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:50,640
Because they're incarcerated,
because the iron is stopping
404
00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:54,000
them using their
magic, Mary Dunbar is
405
00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:57,520
able to rest easy.
406
00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:01,160
[♪ music slowly ends]
407
00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:06,720
[birds squawking]
408
00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:08,200
It should be over.
409
00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:10,560
[♪ uneasy music begins]
410
00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:11,640
But it isn't.
411
00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:14,040
The fits start again.
412
00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:16,080
[distorted noises]
413
00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:17,360
The convulsions start again.
414
00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:22,080
[narrator] After the latest
demonic attacks,
415
00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,200
Mary Dunbar names
two new witches.
416
00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:27,640
Janet Miller and
Margaret Mitchell.
417
00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:33,920
[Marion Gibson] It's been asked
why Mary doesn't simply
418
00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:37,560
leave the house, if it's become
so uncomfortable for her
419
00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:40,480
and she's so afflicted
when she's in it.
420
00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:44,760
But she says, and it's
proved by her actions,
421
00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:48,320
that every time she tries to
leave, she's afflicted again.
422
00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:52,560
She falls down in what appears
to be a feint or a trance.
423
00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:56,400
As soon as she crosses the
threshold of the house.
424
00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:58,440
[Diane Purkiss] Threshold magic
is based on the idea
425
00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:01,760
that a house is something
that keeps things out
426
00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:04,280
and also keeps things in.
427
00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:06,120
At the points where
there are openings,
428
00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:09,240
whether those are windows,
doors or chimneys,
429
00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:12,480
there's always a possibility
of something sneaking in
430
00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:15,360
that you didn't want
to be in there.
431
00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,600
[Ronald Hutton] The main means
by which evil can get in,
432
00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:21,120
or good, can be penned in.
433
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:22,760
If you want to keep
somebody indoors,
434
00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,440
is to stick a curse
on the doorstep.
435
00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:27,720
[Diane Purkiss] It's sometimes
just a marking, which can even
436
00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:29,040
be made with chalk.
437
00:24:29,120 --> 00:24:32,960
It could be children's
shoes, the skull of a horse,
438
00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:34,560
the body of a cat.
439
00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:37,360
All these are magics
that are intended
440
00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:40,320
to make you feel a bit
sick and walk away.
441
00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:42,000
And that's what
threshold magic is.
442
00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:45,080
And it's very big to
this day in Ireland,
443
00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:47,400
and there are very
many survivals of it
444
00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:49,000
in the British Isles overall.
445
00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:53,880
[Marion Gibson] So on the 5th of
March, local officials dig up
446
00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:56,880
the threshold of the house,
and lo and behold, there's
447
00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:58,560
a terrible smell of sulphur.
448
00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:00,400
So they think, well,
we've uncovered the
449
00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:01,960
source of the magic here.
450
00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:04,720
Perhaps now Mary can
leave the house.
451
00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:08,920
[narrator] Escaping the evils
of Knowehead House,
452
00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:13,560
Mary Dunbar finds a sanctuary
in the home of a trusted friend
453
00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:15,600
in the nearby town of Larne.
454
00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:20,800
[Andrew Sneddon] Larne
is just across the
water from Islandmagee.
455
00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:22,520
It's a small town.
456
00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,760
You get there by boat
from the tip of the
457
00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:26,200
peninsula of Islandmagee.
458
00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:29,520
It's on the way to
Carrickfergus,
459
00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:31,280
where the court would be.
460
00:25:31,360 --> 00:25:34,120
When she's going there, it
should be an easy journey.
461
00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:40,640
But when she's on the way,
she sees Janet Main in a
462
00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:43,440
spectral form, threatening her.
463
00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:46,920
This should be impossible,
because she's safely
464
00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:50,320
locked up in jail,
and she's chained and
465
00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:52,680
unable to escape her body.
466
00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,000
But here she is again...
467
00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:59,000
..having a further
attack on Mary Dunbar.
468
00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:02,680
[♪ music intensifies]
469
00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:11,000
[♪ uneasy music playing]
470
00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:17,720
[Andrew Sneddon] How does Main
appear to Mary Dunbar?
471
00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:21,880
She's meant to be
locked up in jail.
472
00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,240
Well, rather than being
bolted up all day, which
473
00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:29,240
they should have been,
they've been taken out
474
00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:30,760
of jail by the jailer.
475
00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:38,600
She's actually been taken to his
house to card and spin linen,
476
00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:41,400
taken out of her bolts
and out of prison.
477
00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:45,400
And this allows them to
spectrally attack Mary Dunbar.
478
00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,480
[narrator] Having spent two
weeks safely in Lorne,
479
00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:53,520
Mary Dunbar must make the
journey to Carrickfergus.
480
00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:56,560
Carrickfergus, where the accused
witches await their trial.
481
00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:00,600
[Marion Gibson] The
judges meet Mary Dunbar.
482
00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:03,000
They do so because
they're really cautious
483
00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:05,120
about staging the trial at all.
484
00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:06,720
But they must have been
convinced that she was
485
00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:08,880
a compelling witness.
486
00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:12,160
They were struck by the fact
that she seemed ladylike,
487
00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:15,960
she seemed educated,
she seemed respectable,
488
00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:17,760
and she seemed innocent.
489
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:19,520
And so the trial went ahead.
490
00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:25,680
[Andrew Sneddon] Both in
the court and outside of
the court were packed out.
491
00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:27,640
It was a big deal.
492
00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:31,840
[Ronald Hutton] They are tried
by two professional judges,
493
00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:34,680
but with a local jury
deciding the verdict.
494
00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:40,200
[Andrew Sneddon] This
trial had 19 witnesses.
495
00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:43,720
They're brought in randomly and
it's hard to follow the case.
496
00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:48,240
The range of religious
and political might
497
00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:51,080
is against these poor,
marginalised women.
498
00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:54,440
You can imagine how frightening
this would have been.
499
00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:56,640
But they stood up
for themselves.
500
00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:58,560
[Ronald Hutton] None of the
women have confessed,
501
00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:00,800
which is quite unusual.
502
00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:04,360
[Marion Gibson] The judges were
very concerned to keep stating
503
00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:07,120
the importance of
reaching a fair verdict,
504
00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:09,880
and they warned continually
about the consequences.
505
00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:12,160
[Andrew Sneddon] And
we've got a problem here.
506
00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:16,080
[Ronald Hutton] One of the
judges supports the evidence
507
00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:20,000
and the other judge says the
evidence is preposterous.
508
00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:24,000
[Darren Oldridge] The kinds of
arguments that people were
509
00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:26,680
making against the criminal
prosecution of witches
510
00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:31,480
were increasingly accepted
by the later 17th century
511
00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:33,440
and the early 18th
century than had perhaps
512
00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:35,040
previously been the case.
513
00:28:35,120 --> 00:28:40,760
Many educated people began to
accept a model of the world
514
00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:44,600
that operated according to
the principles of mathematics
515
00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:47,640
and what today we might
think of as natural science.
516
00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:51,360
And that view of the
world, for many people,
517
00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:55,480
was incompatible with the idea
of evil spirits and bewitchment.
518
00:28:57,040 --> 00:29:00,120
[Diane Purkiss] The Islandmagee
case is a perfect example of a
519
00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:03,520
case where the elite don't side
with the popular belief at all.
520
00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:07,480
It becomes characteristic
of the best-educated people
521
00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:10,080
to be really sceptical
about witchcraft
522
00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:12,280
and to set out to disprove it.
523
00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:15,360
Increasingly, people
treat people who purport
524
00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:18,880
to be demonically possessed
or bewitched as mental cases,
525
00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:20,880
who says this girl is
not possessed, she's
526
00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:23,120
simply hysterical
and she just needs
527
00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:25,080
medical treatment.
528
00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:28,080
So it certainly becomes
possible increasingly
529
00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:30,600
to think of what would
once have been regarded
530
00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:34,200
as witchcraft for sure as
something else altogether,
531
00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:37,160
something scientific and
something entirely secular.
532
00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:42,840
[Ronald Hutton] Trouble is, the
jury is Scot's Presbyterian,
533
00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:46,040
which thoroughly believes
in the power of the
534
00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:50,480
devil and of witchcraft, and
so it proceeds to convict.
535
00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:55,680
[Marion Gibson] They
weren't sentenced to death,
536
00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:56,680
but they were sentenced
537
00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:59,560
to a year in prison and
they had to make four
538
00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:02,480
appearances at the pillory
in local market towns.
539
00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:05,640
Put in a contraption
which imprisons the
540
00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:09,120
head and the hands, so
you're standing helpless.
541
00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:13,200
The problem there is you
can't defend your face
542
00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:17,200
and so if the crowd is against
you, and in Islandmagee it is,
543
00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:20,320
they will pelt you and you
could be seriously injured.
544
00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:26,560
[Andrew Sneddon] The
other punishment is
imprisonment for a year.
545
00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:29,360
These prisons are not
designed to punish people
546
00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:30,760
for any length of time.
547
00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:34,840
They're there for short stay,
so being there for a year
548
00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:36,160
must have been horrendous.
549
00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:40,240
[Marion Gibson] They were
dirty, they were full,
550
00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:43,040
overflowing with people,
so there was no privacy.
551
00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:46,400
From the smell, the presence
of your fellow prisoners,
552
00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:48,520
some of whom would have
been quite dangerous.
553
00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,960
♪ ♪
554
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,280
[Andrew Sneddon] These women
fought with everything they had
555
00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:59,440
against these charges and
they didn't have much.
556
00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:02,120
They were poor, they
were marginalised,
557
00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:04,520
but they didn't
go along with it.
558
00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:06,920
They were fighting against it.
559
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,200
They stood up in court where
the great and the good
560
00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:12,120
were ranged against
them and they said,
561
00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:14,720
"No, we didn't do it."
562
00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:18,560
None of these women, till
the end, admitted it.
563
00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:22,360
And for that, we should be
terribly proud of them.
564
00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:27,040
♪ ♪
565
00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:32,040
[Marion Gibson] Even after
the conviction of the
566
00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:35,560
eight suspects, the matter
was not over for Mary Dunbar.
567
00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,200
[Andrew Sneddon] She is still
being demonically possessed
568
00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:42,680
when everybody she's
accused is in jail.
569
00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:45,280
A man threatens her with
a knife, in spectral
570
00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:47,680
form, and stabs her.
571
00:31:47,760 --> 00:31:49,040
[muted screaming]
572
00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:51,080
They have a look
at her shoulder.
573
00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:54,280
They can see a physical
scar on her shoulder
574
00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:55,480
where she's been stabbed.
575
00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:02,320
[narrator] Mary Dunbar
is able to recognise
and name her attacker.
576
00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:03,560
William Sellor.
577
00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:08,760
[Andrew Sneddon] William Sellor
is husband to Janet Liston
578
00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:10,600
and father to Elizabeth Sellor.
579
00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:17,480
William Sellor is tracked
down to a tavern.
580
00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:20,120
Then he is arrested.
581
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:22,920
But it's not over.
582
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:25,440
It takes a dramatic turn.
583
00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:29,480
In late April, William
Sellor's accuser,
584
00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:37,160
the centre of the whole case,
Mary Dunbar, dies suddenly.
585
00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:41,080
♪ ♪
586
00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:48,120
♪ ♪
587
00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:50,840
[Andrew Sneddon] We know about
the death of Mary Dunbar
588
00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:53,280
because it's reported
in the newspaper.
589
00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:55,680
And it's very stark.
590
00:32:56,800 --> 00:32:59,960
It just says, "The person
who accused witches
591
00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:02,800
"and the police who were lately
tried at Carrickfergus is dead."
592
00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:05,960
It doesn't tell us why.
593
00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:11,120
[Marion Gibson] And that changes
the fate of William Sellor,
594
00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:14,600
who is in jail for practising
witchcraft against her.
595
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:18,240
It changes his trial to one
which appears to be about
596
00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:20,400
murder of Mary Dunbar.
597
00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:23,600
William is suddenly on
trial for his life.
598
00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:26,920
[Andrew Sneddon] Under
the 1586 Witchcraft Act,
599
00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,240
if you murder using witchcraft,
you can be executed.
600
00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:32,480
He is tried and he
is found guilty.
601
00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:36,440
We don't know if
he was executed.
602
00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:38,160
We can't find his body.
603
00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:42,080
But he was found guilty, so it's
assumed it was carried out.
604
00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:44,360
[Ronald Hutton] And if that
happened, it would have been a
605
00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:48,920
spectacularly late execution
for witchcraft in the
606
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,880
history of the British
Isles, one of only three
607
00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:55,520
in Irish history, and
an entire generation
608
00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:59,360
after witch executions
had ceased in England.
609
00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:03,920
This is an amazing story, and
it's so recently discovered,
610
00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,240
we haven't really yet
got our heads round it.
611
00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:11,600
♪ ♪
612
00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:14,120
[Marion Gibson] It's difficult
to say what happened in the
613
00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:16,520
case of Mary Dunbar.
614
00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:18,640
Did she really think that
she was being afflicted
615
00:34:18,720 --> 00:34:20,280
by supernatural forces?
616
00:34:22,240 --> 00:34:25,160
[Darren Oldridge] Demon
possession was regarded with
617
00:34:25,240 --> 00:34:27,920
some suspicion because, of
course, it was possible to fake.
618
00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:32,280
[Julian Goodare] Demonic
possession starts to become
619
00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:34,240
more prominent in
the later stages of
620
00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:35,840
the great European witch hunt.
621
00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:39,640
There comes to be a sort of
shared body of knowledge
622
00:34:39,720 --> 00:34:42,000
as to how a demoniac
should behave.
623
00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:44,720
Presumably Mary Dunbar
may well have heard about
624
00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:48,080
the other recent cases
and known how to behave.
625
00:34:48,160 --> 00:34:52,600
My impression is that there is
some psychological disorder
626
00:34:52,680 --> 00:34:55,360
of some kind behind
much of this.
627
00:34:55,440 --> 00:34:59,320
These demoniacs are not simply
faking the whole thing,
628
00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:02,320
but they're just being
encouraged to behave in
629
00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:05,040
certain specific ways
to take the symptoms of
630
00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:07,920
their psychiatric disorder
in a particular direction.
631
00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:12,920
[Andrew Sneddon] Historians
warn of imposing modern medical
632
00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:16,880
diagnosis onto the past
because diseases change.
633
00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:20,600
People who are trying to find
modern medical explanations
634
00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:24,480
are relying on evidence
that is quite sparse.
635
00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:33,040
Now, if it was an
illness, did she fake it?
636
00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:38,120
She is a young woman in a
very restrictive family.
637
00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:40,560
She has constraints
placed on what she can
638
00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:42,280
do and what she can't do.
639
00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:47,000
It's also a way for
her to challenge the
640
00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:48,200
restrictions placed on her.
641
00:35:49,240 --> 00:35:52,160
This allows her to behave
in ways that would be
642
00:35:52,240 --> 00:35:54,440
otherwise unacceptable.
643
00:35:56,320 --> 00:36:00,480
So this brings her
to centre stage.
644
00:36:00,560 --> 00:36:03,240
It's a drama of
her own creation.
645
00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:07,480
[Marion Gibson] That
still doesn't explain
everything, though.
646
00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:11,000
Some of the things
that she describes
647
00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:14,320
couldn't have been done by
one person acting alone.
648
00:36:16,240 --> 00:36:17,840
She would have to have had help.
649
00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:21,440
[Andrew Sneddon] When you
look at Ann Haltridge's
demonic obsession...
650
00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:24,760
..Mary's possession...
651
00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:30,040
..one of the people
who see it all is the
652
00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:33,120
servant, Margaret Spear.
653
00:36:33,200 --> 00:36:36,080
Mary Dunbar probably
needed help faking it
654
00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:38,280
because things happen
when she's not there.
655
00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:43,160
It would also explain why Mary
could track these people down
656
00:36:43,240 --> 00:36:46,440
through their names and
through what they looked like.
657
00:36:47,680 --> 00:36:49,640
It could have came
from Margaret Spear.
658
00:36:49,720 --> 00:36:53,680
[Ronald Hutton] Who identified
people for her, briefed her
659
00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:56,120
and helped set
things up for her.
660
00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:58,040
[Andrew Sneddon]
She's from that area.
661
00:36:58,120 --> 00:36:59,640
She may have known these people.
662
00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:03,800
So there is things
we can't explain.
663
00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:07,480
But so much can't be.
664
00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:10,920
[narrator] It's most likely
these events were caused
665
00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:14,680
by Mary Dunbar and Margaret
Spear fighting for attention.
666
00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:18,120
But so much remains unexplained.
667
00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:22,400
What caused Ann Haltridge's
possession and death?
668
00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:25,640
How could Janet
Main's attack occur
669
00:37:25,720 --> 00:37:28,880
just as she was
taken out of prison?
670
00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:32,720
And what was behind the
mysterious death of Mary Dunbar?
671
00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:37,400
[Julian Goodare] This is the
kind of witchcraft case that
672
00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:41,360
you get in the later stages of
the great European witch hunt.
673
00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:42,920
It's very colourful.
674
00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:46,040
It's very dramatic.
675
00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:48,280
It's also controversial.
676
00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:52,800
Either the story is of,
yes, she was genuine,
677
00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:55,000
or indeed the story is,
yes, she was faking.
678
00:37:56,240 --> 00:37:58,640
These are both stories
that people want to tell
679
00:37:58,720 --> 00:38:00,800
and sometimes you see
both stories being told
680
00:38:00,880 --> 00:38:01,920
about the same person.
681
00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:08,840
[Ronald Hutton] But her sudden
death is an extraordinary event,
682
00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:11,240
presumably a complete
coincidence.
683
00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:14,640
But it's the kind of thing of
which true melodrama is made.
684
00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:18,280
[Marion Gibson] We'll never
really know what happened in the
685
00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:21,280
case of Mary Dunbar,
but it does make
686
00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:23,640
a fantastic story
and it convinced the
687
00:38:23,720 --> 00:38:25,360
judges at her witch trial.
688
00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:31,200
[narrator] Despite many
unanswered questions,
689
00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:33,520
the trials in
Islandmagee have ended.
690
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:36,440
But their horrors continue.
691
00:38:43,240 --> 00:38:46,440
[Andrew Sneddon] The Islandmagee
case is unusual in Ireland.
692
00:38:46,520 --> 00:38:47,520
[seagull calling]
693
00:38:48,320 --> 00:38:51,520
Nine people were
convicted for witchcraft
694
00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:54,200
and it is the only
trial in Ireland
695
00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:57,720
that a man is prosecuted
and convicted
696
00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,640
and, as far as we know,
hung for witchcraft.
697
00:39:02,440 --> 00:39:06,800
When the rest of Europe is
stopping prosecuting witches,
698
00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:09,480
this is at the point a
trial happens in Ireland.
699
00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:13,440
But in Islandmagee itself,
it is a haunted place
700
00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:16,360
and it's haunted by
this witch trial.
701
00:39:17,720 --> 00:39:19,680
It haunts the folk history.
702
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:24,520
People won't go past
Knowehead House at night.
703
00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:28,040
There's an old rocking
stone that witches are
704
00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:29,720
said to have danced on
at night and people
705
00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:32,040
not go near it.
706
00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:34,720
But something has changed
by the early 18th century.
707
00:39:36,280 --> 00:39:40,160
In Ireland, there is
no more witch trials.
708
00:39:40,240 --> 00:39:44,480
Nobody is formally prosecuted
and there's no convictions.
709
00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:48,640
[Julian Goodare] The
great European witch hunt
does have an overall arc.
710
00:39:48,720 --> 00:39:50,840
It goes up and then
it goes down again.
711
00:39:53,080 --> 00:39:56,680
[narrator] Ireland's last ever
witch trial is over
712
00:39:56,760 --> 00:40:00,120
and mass trials and
accusations of witchcraft
713
00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:02,880
fade away throughout
the Western world.
714
00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:08,240
[Andrew Sneddon] We are at a
point of change and part of the
715
00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:11,800
reason is an increase
in judicial scepticism,
716
00:40:11,880 --> 00:40:16,080
finding it hard to get
convincing proof of witchcraft.
717
00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:19,880
In the mid to late 17th
century, we start to get judges
718
00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:24,480
and legal writers being
more sceptical about
719
00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:26,120
witchcraft prosecutions.
720
00:40:27,240 --> 00:40:29,600
[Diane Purkiss] In order for
witch trials to happen
721
00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:33,160
and for people to be
prosecuted and executed,
722
00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:40,040
the elite, the top 20% at least,
have consistently to believe
723
00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:43,360
that there are real witches and
that they are a real threat.
724
00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:45,840
The actual prosecutions
stop happening
725
00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:48,360
because the elite
no longer believe.
726
00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:50,000
[Ronald Hutton] And when they
doubt the evidence,
727
00:40:50,080 --> 00:40:53,160
their trials end because
they're pointless.
728
00:40:53,240 --> 00:40:57,280
And when trials end, the laws
against witchcraft get repealed.
729
00:40:57,360 --> 00:40:59,680
Then convictions subside.
730
00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:05,480
♪ ♪
731
00:41:05,840 --> 00:41:08,640
The other thing is that
witch hunting doesn't work.
732
00:41:08,720 --> 00:41:12,680
It doesn't produce better luck,
better weather, better children.
733
00:41:12,760 --> 00:41:16,200
Instead, it disrupts
and demoralises
734
00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:17,840
and decimates communities.
735
00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:19,720
And the Protestant and
Catholic have failed
736
00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:22,400
to wipe each other out, so
they're having to learn
737
00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:23,840
to tolerate each other.
738
00:41:25,560 --> 00:41:27,720
[Julian Goodare] Each side wants
to prove that it's more godly
739
00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:29,720
than the other lot.
740
00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:33,680
They both hate witches, but
the biggest change is that
741
00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:37,400
they want to stop killing
each other for it.
742
00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:39,720
[Marion Gibson] The world is
moving towards a change
743
00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:42,840
in the way that people think
about society, about each other,
744
00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:45,520
and a belief in greater
tolerance, in not
745
00:41:45,600 --> 00:41:48,360
killing each other, and
of being more charitable
746
00:41:48,440 --> 00:41:50,000
towards other people.
747
00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:53,160
[Ronald Hutton] So it looks as
if God is lightening up.
748
00:41:53,240 --> 00:41:55,120
The weather gets better.
749
00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:58,120
Christian Europe gets stronger
and more self-confident
750
00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:00,360
in defeating its enemies.
751
00:42:00,440 --> 00:42:04,120
Epidemic disease recedes
for the first time
752
00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:05,280
in hundreds of years.
753
00:42:05,680 --> 00:42:08,160
♪ ♪
754
00:42:08,240 --> 00:42:11,760
[Darren Oldridge] The people who
accused others of witchcraft
755
00:42:11,840 --> 00:42:13,000
were afraid of witches.
756
00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:16,720
They were dealing with
what seemed to them
757
00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:22,960
to be real dangers in the
world, and a genuine desire to
758
00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:26,080
deal with a dangerous
but difficult crime.
759
00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:31,400
And that has been lost,
because today we don't
760
00:42:31,480 --> 00:42:36,240
believe in bad magic, and
with it our appreciation
761
00:42:36,320 --> 00:42:40,680
of the genuine fears
of people in the past,
762
00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:43,520
and it prevents us from
appreciating truly
763
00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:46,960
the tragedy of
witch persecutions,
764
00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:48,920
because if we imagine
the people that accused
765
00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:52,960
others of witchcraft
as being malicious or
766
00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:58,400
suffering from hysteria, then
we won't take the lesson,
767
00:42:58,480 --> 00:43:03,280
which is that well-meaning
and rational people
768
00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:07,840
might sometimes make
terrible mistakes,
769
00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:11,080
and that seems to me
to be a much more
770
00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:14,400
important lesson to take from
the age of what we think
771
00:43:14,480 --> 00:43:15,960
of today as witch hunts.
772
00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:20,440
[fire crackling]
773
00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:22,760
[Julian Goodare] The great
European witch hunt has gone.
774
00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:27,240
[Marion Gibson] But that's only
the story in Western Europe
775
00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:28,600
and North America.
776
00:43:29,240 --> 00:43:30,560
♪ ♪
777
00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:33,440
Around the world today,
witch trials still continue.
778
00:43:35,000 --> 00:43:38,320
In Southern Africa,
in Indonesia,
779
00:43:39,440 --> 00:43:41,880
parts of the Indian
subcontinent and Nepal.
780
00:43:42,920 --> 00:43:44,360
That's perhaps another story.
781
00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:50,000
But it's the story of
ongoing witch trials.
782
00:43:50,080 --> 00:43:52,440
We're still in the era
of the witch hunt today.
783
00:43:53,320 --> 00:43:56,320
♪ ♪
64297
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