Essex's Darkest Witch Hunt

29. januar 2026 · 45m

This is the story of a 16th century cunning woman, a folk healer, who was found guilty of being a witch. Accusations spiralled until more than a dozen women faced the threat of death. The St Osyth witch hunt became a landmark case, setting a dark precedent for the witch hunts that would explode across the country in the century that followed.


Our guest today is Marion Gibson, author of 'Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials'.


This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.


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All music from Epidemic Sounds.


After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

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After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

Essex's Darkest Witch Hunt

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