Matthew Hopkins

Starting in the 15th century, a fear of witchcraft and alternative practices grew into a hysteria. Because witches were suspected to be devil worshippers, they were considered heretics to the Christian church. Consequently, the Christians launched a crusade against these women and men. Matthew Hopkins was not only among the greatest supporters of this crusade, but also one of the most active participants. In just over a year, Matthew Hopkins, a self-proclaimed “Witchfinder General”, killed over one hundred people. While the witch hunt hysteria infected much of the 17th century society in England, there were still those who opposed the accusations and discrimination against witches. After being criticized for his work, Hopkins decided to publish a guide to witch hunting, including methods to discover a witch, how to torture them into a confession, and how to prosecute them. Along with outlines of torture methods, such as sleep deprivation and forced physical activity, The Discovery of Witches also addressed the questions and concerns raised by those who did not support Hopkins. Under the guise of being a man of God, Hopkins claimed to have been sent on a divine mission to manipulate other religious groups into joining his cause. As Hopkin’s practices brought him lucrative success, he rose to a short-lived power, but his published doctrine spread his influence for years after his death. The Discovery of Witches by Matthew Hopkins is a short text of immeasurable insight. Though now recognized as zealot propaganda, The Discovery of Witches depicts a chilling perspective of a heinous time in history, including the concerns of those who opposed it. While Hopkin’s work immortalizes a fascinating yet repulsive historical movement, it also invites readers to reflect on the ways the spirit of his manipulation is still present in modern society. This edition of The Discovery of Witches by Matthew Hopkins features an eye-catching cover deign and is printed in an easy-to-read font, making it both readable and modern.

The Discovery of Witches: Delivered to the Judges of Assize for the County of NORFOLK And now published By MATTHEW HOPKINS, Witch-finder, FOR The Benefit of the whole KINGDOME. M. DC. XLVII. (1647) by Matthew Hopkins. Matthew Hopkins. c. 1620 - 12 August 1647, was an English witch-hunter whose career flourished during the English Civil War. He claimed to hold the office of Witchfinder General, although that title was never bestowed by Parliament. His witch-hunts mainly took place in East Anglia. Hopkins' witch-finding career began in March 1644 and lasted until his retirement in 1647. He and his associates were responsible for more people being hanged for witchcraft than in the previous 100 years, and were solely responsible for the increase in witch trials during those years. He is believed to have been responsible for the deaths of 300 women between the years 1644 and 1646. It has been estimated that all of the English witch trials between the early 15th and late 18th centuries resulted in fewer than 500 executions for witchcraft. Therefore, presuming the number executed as a result of "investigations" by Hopkins and his colleague John Stearne is at the lower end of the various estimates, their efforts accounted for about 60 per cent of the total; in the 14 months of their crusade Hopkins and Stearne sent to the gallows more people than all the other witch-hunters in England of the previous 160 years.

In The Discovery of Witches, Matthew Hopkins - the Witch Finder General of England during the early 1600s - details the process by which he found and captured suspected witches. Hopkins' treatise is comprised of answers to various queries he had received by members of the public curious about his investigatory techniques in finding witches. This book answers a total of fourteen queries, with replies ranging from a few sentences to a few paragraphs in length. The book is an illustrative portrayal of a society fervently given to superstitions about the powers of witchcraft. At three hundred women killed, the efforts of Hopkins and his assistant John Stearne were prolific. Accorded status, Hopkins encountered opposition to his witch finding. That his 'investigations' required scant evidence to secure death sentences dismayed figures in the Church of England. Today, historians judge Hopkins as an opportunist who took advantage of unfounded suspicions to advance his own fame.

In The Discovery of Witches, Matthew Hopkins - the Witch Finder General of England during the early 1600s - details the process by which he found and captured suspected witches. Hopkins' treatise is comprised of answers to various queries he had received by members of the public curious about his investigatory techniques in finding witches. This book answers a total of fourteen queries, with replies ranging from a few sentences to a few paragraphs in length. The book is an illustrative portrayal of a society fervently given to superstitions about the powers of witchcraft. At three hundred women killed, the efforts of Hopkins and his assistant John Stearne were prolific. Accorded status, Hopkins encountered opposition to his witch finding. That his 'investigations' required scant evidence to secure death sentences dismayed figures in the Church of England. Today, historians judge Hopkins as an opportunist who took advantage of unfounded suspicions to advance his own fame.

The Discovery of Witches By Matthew Hopkins

Occult historian and scholar Montague Summers offers his narration of The Discovery of Witches, an essay written by the notorious witch hunter Matthew Hopkins. Working in the 1640s, Hopkins was the driving force behind the execution of more than a hundred alleged witches. The Discovery of Witches was designed as a guide to finding, interrogating and executing suspected witches. Various marks upon the body are mentioned as devilish, while tests of witchcraft such as swimming - whereby a woman was forcibly immersed in water - were devised as a means of determining a person's affinity to illicit magic. Summers offers an extensive introductive commentary, describing characteristics of various cases found in historic court records from Medieval times onward. Both male and female individuals were accused of possessing magical powers, and were hauled before local magistrates or barons to face punishment. On some occasions, maladies suffered by locals or livestock were attributed to destructive curses placed by the purported magic user. Such cases were frequent until the early 18th century, when laws involving illicit wizardry and witching were removed from England's statutes.