Jane Wenham (died 1730) was one of the last people to be condemned to death for witchcraft in England, although her conviction was set aside. Her trial in 1712 is commonly but erroneously regarded as the last
witch trial in England.
Background
Wenham, a widow of
Walkern
Walkern is a village and civil parish in East Hertfordshire, England. It is about two miles from Stevenage.
The village has several shops, including a convenience store, a hair and beauty salon, a craft shop, a shop that features homestyle produ ...
, Hertfordshire, brought a charge of defamation against a farmer, in response to an accusation of witchcraft. The local Justice of the Peace, Sir
Henry Chauncy
Sir Henry Chauncy (12 April 1632 – April 1719) was an English lawyer, topographer and antiquarian. He is best known for his county history of Hertfordshire, published in 1700.
Life
He was born in Ardeley (then known as Yardley), Hertfordshi ...
referred the matter to the Rev Gardiner, the
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of Walkern. She was awarded with a shilling, though advised to be less quarrelsome. She was disappointed with this outcome, and it was reported that she had said she would have justice "some other way". She supposedly then bewitched Ann Thorne, a servant at the rectory.
Trial
A warrant for Wenham's arrest was issued by Sir Henry Chauncy, who gave instructions that she be searched for "
witch marks". She requested that she undergo trials to avoid being detained, such as a
swimming test, however, she was asked to repeat the
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
.
The accused was brought before Sir
John Powell at the
Assize Court
The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes e ...
at Hertford on 4 March 1712. A number of villagers gave evidence that Wenham practised witchcraft. The judge was clearly more sceptical than the jury of the evidence presented. When an accusation of flying was made, the judge remarked that flying, per se, was not a crime.
Some historians such as
Keith Thomas have suggested, taking this case is an example, that there was generally a difference in attitudes towards supposed witchcraft between educated and less educated people, the latter being more credulous.
However, the Wenham case is arguably more complicated than this distinction might imply, as Henry Chauncy, for example, was well educated. Chauncy's motivation has been the subject of speculation.
Ian Bostridge
Ian Charles Bostridge CBE (born 25 December 1964) is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer.
Early life and education
Bostridge was born in London, the son of Leslie Bostridge and Lillian (née Clark). ...
, one of Keith Thomas' students, has argued that political issues were involved in the case.
Final years
Wenham was removed from her village for her own safety.
In her final years, she was visited by Bishop
Francis Hutchinson
Francis Hutchinson (2 January 1660 – 1739) was a British minister in Bury St Edmunds when he wrote a famous book debunking witchcraft prosecutions and subsequently was made Bishop of Down and Connor in Ireland.
Education
Hutchinson was born i ...
(1660–1739), author of an ''Historical essay concerning witchcraft'' (1718) in which he applied an extremely rational approach to the subject. Hutchinson, who had met other survivors of witch-hunts, regarded their persecution as Tory superstition.
[The political aspect of the case has been discussed by ]Ian Bostridge
Ian Charles Bostridge CBE (born 25 December 1964) is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer.
Early life and education
Bostridge was born in London, the son of Leslie Bostridge and Lillian (née Clark). ...
. ''Witchcraft and its transformations, c.1650–1750''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1997.
Other cases
According to the
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
, Jane Wenham was the last person convicted of witchcraft in England.
However, trials and executions for witchcraft continued in England after the Wenham case. One such case involved Mary Hickes and her nine-year-old daughter Elizabeth, who were condemned to death by the Assize Court and were hanged in
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...
on Saturday 28 July 1716.
Contemporary accounts
The trial caused a sensation in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, where publishers such as
Edmund Curll
Edmund Curll (''c.'' 1675 – 11 December 1747) was an English bookseller and publisher. His name has become synonymous, through the attacks on him by Alexander Pope, with unscrupulous publication and publicity. Curll rose from poverty to wealth ...
sold material proclaiming Wenham's innocence or guilt.
One of the witnesses at the trial, Francis Bragge, published three pamphlets about the case including, ''A full and impartial account of the discovery of sorcery and witchcraft practis'd by Jane Wenham of Walkerne in Hertfordshire''.
Plays
The Last Witch
In 2012, a play entitled ''The Last Witch'' was performed at
Hertford Theatre and Walkern Hall, 300 years after the original trial. Written by Kate Miller and directed by former Hertfordshire vicar Richard Syms, the play starred Toni Brooks as the titular character, with
Rhiannon Drake
Rhiannon Sarah Margaret Drake (born 13 July 1989) is a British musician, composer, producer and actress. She is best known for playing Sabrina in the original West End cast of ''Grim'', and her role in the musical film '' And You Were Wonderful, ...
as Anne Thorne and Lindsay Cooper as Debora Gardiner.
Jane Wenham: The Witch of Walkern
In 2015 a play about Wenham by
Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Rebecca Lenkiewicz (born 1968) is a British playwright and screenwriter. She is best known as the author of ''Her Naked Skin'' (2008), which was the first original play written by a living female playwright to be performed on the Olivier stage of ...
opened at
Watford Palace Theatre
Watford Palace Theatre, opened in 1908, is an Edwardian Grade II listed building in Watford, Hertfordshire. The 600-seat theatre on Clarendon Road was refurbished in 2004. It houses its own rehearsal room, wardrobe, cafe and bar.
History
The ...
and went on tour.
[REVIEW; Jane Wenham: The Witch of Walkern Liverpool Everyman." ]Liverpool Echo
The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St Paul's Square, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Sunday, and is Liverp ...
(Liverpool, England). MGN Ltd. 2015. Retrieved via HighBeam Research
HighBeam Research was a paid search engine and full text online archive owned by Gale, a subsidiary of Cengage, for thousands of newspapers, magazines, academic journals, newswires, trade magazines, and encyclopedias in English. It was headquar ...
. 25 Jul. 2017 (subscription required)
References
Further reading
* Alan Akeroyd and Caroline Clifford, ''Huntingdon: Eight Centuries of History'' (2004)
External links
*
Articles on Jane Wenham on the Walkern History Society website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wenham, Jane
1730 deaths
People from Hertfordshire
Burials in Hertfordshire
Witch trials in England
Year of birth unknown