Who was Matthew Hopkins?
Matthew Hopkins was a Witchfinder who lived in seventeenth century England. Very little is known about the man but he is believed to have been a solicitor and the son of a Puritan minister. After twice starting legal practices which failed, he embarked on a short career as a Witchfinder that resulted in the deaths of some 300 people. Hopkins is believed to have died in 1647 either from tuberculosis, or as popularly believed, from mobs acting vengefully on behalf of his victims. He also had two assistants, John Stearne and Mary Phillips.
Why Hopkins became a Witchfinder
Witchfinding was a lucrative practice for Hopkins. In an age where the daily wage was 2.5p, he was paid up to 20 shillings for each person that was tried and convicted of witchcraft. He was paid sometimes by townsfolk who called him in, or mainly by local magistrates. He is alleged to have taken up the profession after overhearing a conversation among some women who talked of their encounters with the Devil. Hopkins operated between 1644-1646 which coincided with the English Civil War. There was a general breakdown of law and order during this period which allowed Hopkins to carry out his profession without risk of being detected.
Where did Hopkins operate?
Hopkins began his career in the county of Essex but operated all over East Anglia. His most successful work however was in Essex. He is credited as having put to death more alleged witches than all the other Witchfinders put together, and this would explain why Essex was known as "Witch Country".
Identifying Witches
People could be accused of being a witch just on the say so of others. Some unscrupulous people used the witchcraft laws of the time to get rid of people they didn't like. Just a simple accusation of witchcraft could lead to the interrogation of innocent people. Other ways of identifying a witch included having boils, birthmarks, scars, or a "third nipple", the mark of a witch. Many of the victims of Matthew Hopkins were the elderly in poor health.
How Hopkins interrogated people
Torture was illegal in seventeenth century England, but Hopkins found ways around the torture laws. He employed several methods to extract confessions that wouldn't show as physical torture. These methods included starvation, sleep deprivation, locking his victims up in cold, dark windowless cells, and forcing victims to walk around the cell in a state of exhaustion until they confessed.
On conviction, the victim was taken to water, tied right thumb to left toe, and left thumb to right toe, then thrown in. If the victim drowned, they were considered to be innocent and died without a blemish on their reputation. If they survived however, they were considered to have been saved by the Devil and consequently hanged as a witch. There was no escape from death.
Matthew Hopkins in the movies
In 1968 a film was made about the career of Matthew Hopkins who was played by American actor Vincent Price.
Source:
Matthew Hopkins "Witchfinder General" of East Anglia
Richard Aitkins - Richard Aitkins is a freelance writer and tutor from Hertfordshire, England. He has a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Humanities with ...
