Belinda Jacqueline Nash (October 27, 1946 – February 16, 2016) was an American historian, author and activist. She wrote a biography of

Grace Sherwood Grace White Sherwood (1660–1740), called the Witch of Pungo, is the last person known to have been convicted of witchcraft in Virginia. A farmer, healer, and midwife, she was accused by her neighbors of transforming herself into a cat, damag ...

, the last person "convicted" by

ducking In audio engineering, ducking is an audio effect commonly used in radio and pop music, especially dance music. In ducking, the level of one audio signal is reduced by the presence of another signal. In radio this can typically be achieved by low ...

of being a witch in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. As a result of Nash's work, Sherwood was given a pardon, 300 years after her

trial by ordeal Trial by ordeal was an ancient judicial practice by which the guilt or innocence of the accused was determined by subjecting them to a painful, or at least an unpleasant, usually dangerous experience. In medieval Europe, like trial by combat, tri ...

History

In the 1980s, Nash moved from Stratford Ontario, Canada to

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

. She became interested in the etymology of the name ''Witchduck Road'' which was close to her home. As a result, she researched Grace Sherwood for around 20 years and with her daughter, Danielle Sheets, co-wrote a biography of her, ''A Place in Time: The Age of the Witch of Pungo''. Sherwood's life had been described before by

Louisa Venable Kyle Louisa Venable Kyle (August 11, 1903 – October 24, 1999) was an American historian, author and journalist. She wrote works of fiction based on the history of her home state of Virginia. Biography Born in Norfolk, she studied at Mary Bal ...

in ''The Witch of Pungo and Other Historical Stories of the Early Colonies'', a fiction book written for children including biographical data, published in 1973. Nash has been on the board of Directors of the

Ferry Plantation House Ferry Plantation House, or Old Donation Farm, Ferry Farm, Walke Manor House, is a brick house in the neighborhood of Old Donation Farm in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The site dates back to 1642 when Savill Gaskin started the second ferry service ...

from 1996 and its director from 1999. She has provided information on Sherwood to visitors, dressed in a period costume. The

has been re-enacted annually. Sherwood was an unusual character who survived the ordeal and lived into her eighties. In response to Nash's activity, the Governor of Virginia,

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgini ...

, pardoned Sherwood on July 10, 2006, 300 years after her trial by ordeal. He wrote: "We also can celebrate the fact that a woman's equality is constitutionally protected today, and women have the freedom to pursue their hopes and dreams." During the ceremony at the Ferry Plantation House, where Sherwood's trial was partly held, the annual re-enactment was performed. Also in 2006, Nash successfully raised funds for a bronze statue of Sherwood, despite finding that "No one wanted a statue of a witch". The statue was finally erected in 2007 at the Sentara Independence outpatient care center in Witchduck Rd. Witchduck and Sherwood sign 5a

In 2014, a memorial marker was placed at a herb garden of the

Old Donation Episcopal Church Old Donation Church is the third Lynnhaven Parish Church and is the oldest church in Virginia Beach. Records show that the parish's first church services were held in 1637 in the home of Adam Thoroughgood. The first church building was construct ...

, Sherwood's former parish church. Nash commented: "I was so happy when I heard this stone was going to be placed. My heart was relieved to hear the church was welcoming it." Nash died on February 16, 2016, aged 69, after a long battle with cancer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nash, Belinda 1946 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American non-fiction writers American historians Canadian emigrants to the United States Historians of Virginia American women historians Writers from Virginia 20th-century American women writers Deaths from cancer in Virginia Place of birth missing 21st-century American women