William Harding (born c. 1625, date of death unknown), was the first man to have been convicted of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

in the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

, and also one of the few men to have been tried in a witch trial in

Colonial America The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of North America from the early 17th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States after the Revolutionary War. In the ...

Background

Wright was born around 1625 in

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. He emigrated to

British America British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 16 ...

and resided in Northumberland County. where he later was a landowner near Nomini Creek. He was described as a "

cunning man Cunning may refer to: * Cunning (owarai), a Japanese comedy group * Cunning folk, a type of folk magic user * Cunning (surname), a list of people with Cunning as a surname See also * Cunningham * * * Sneak (disambiguation) Sneak or Sneaky m ...

" and a troublemaker who caused dissension.

Witch trial

In November 1656,

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Reverend David Lindsay of Wicomico Church, Virginia accused William of witchcraft and sorcery, and he was subsequently imprisoned. A 24-member jury was convened, and the witch trial heard testimony from numerous county residents. All records regarding his charges have been lost. On November 20, 1656, Harding was found guilty of the charges, sentenced to 13 whip lashes, ordered to pay all court costs, and formally banished from the county. Harding's banishment was considered unorthodox as it was not a prescribed punishment in the Witchcraft Act 1603. His case was one of the few male witchcraft trials in the New World.Hudson Jr., Carson O. ''Witchcraft in Colonial Virginia''. The History Press. 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, William 1625 births People from colonial Virginia History of Virginia Witch trials in North America Date of death unknown English emigrants to British North America People convicted of witchcraft People from Northumberland County, Virginia