In the midst of Matthew Hopkins' witch hunting career, a woman in the Manningtree area fell ill, and after being told by her husband to go to the doctors, her doctor told her that she had been cursed by her neighbour. The couple were said to immediately name Elizabeth Clarke, a woman who lived further up on the hill that they lived on, as the suspect. Elizabeth's mother and other relatives had been prosecuted as witches before, and so it only made sense to them that they were being cursed by her.
Matthew Hopkins assigned himself the case of Elizabeth Clarke. He went to her house and waited for her imps to come, to prove that she was a witch. He stated within 15 minutes one appeared as a white dog with sandy spots which then disappeared and transformed into a black greyhound with large fangs. After a little more waiting, he said two more imps appeared in the forms of a polecat and a 3ft tall black cat.
It's said that Elizabeth herself claimed she had five of her own imps, and two in which she and another woman in the town 'old Beldam Weste', which they alternated care for.
Apparently, she also said that Satan wouldn't let her rest unless she killed cows and a horse.
It's unknown how much of this is true, and if so why she said it. Perhaps she was fed up of the hassle and played along, or they were interrogating her in ways that isn't in records today.
Hopkins went to her house again, this time with his dog. A kitten thought to be an imp bit a chunk of of his dog. He supposedly went home to dress the wound, but the large black cat he saw from his first visit to her house was in his garden.
5 lesser cases of witchcraft were given against her, and as people had already believed she was a witch from the first instance (including the very well respected Matthew Hopkins), this was enough to send her to execution in Chelmsford.
Matthew Hopkins assigned himself the case of Elizabeth Clarke. He went to her house and waited for her imps to come, to prove that she was a witch. He stated within 15 minutes one appeared as a white dog with sandy spots which then disappeared and transformed into a black greyhound with large fangs. After a little more waiting, he said two more imps appeared in the forms of a polecat and a 3ft tall black cat.
It's said that Elizabeth herself claimed she had five of her own imps, and two in which she and another woman in the town 'old Beldam Weste', which they alternated care for.
Apparently, she also said that Satan wouldn't let her rest unless she killed cows and a horse.
It's unknown how much of this is true, and if so why she said it. Perhaps she was fed up of the hassle and played along, or they were interrogating her in ways that isn't in records today.
Hopkins went to her house again, this time with his dog. A kitten thought to be an imp bit a chunk of of his dog. He supposedly went home to dress the wound, but the large black cat he saw from his first visit to her house was in his garden.
5 lesser cases of witchcraft were given against her, and as people had already believed she was a witch from the first instance (including the very well respected Matthew Hopkins), this was enough to send her to execution in Chelmsford.
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