10 Real Life Historical Witch Hunters

WatchMojo

From medieval times to the modern era, these individuals made their mark by hunting supposed practitioners of witchcraft. Discover the dark history of those who pursued alleged witches, from the infamous Matthew Hopkins to the controversial Helen Ukpabio, and learn how their actions shaped communities and lives.

Transcript

00:00Ironically, this book of intolerance and persecution was, in its own time, second only to the Bible in popularity.

00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be discussing those individuals who sought out and persecuted accused witches throughout history.

00:15Torture was an acceptable means to elicit a confession.

00:19And the so-called devil's mark, which wasn't too hard to find, provided undeniable proof.

00:27Thomas Colley

00:28If a woman's angry and she says something like that, and then something bad happens, you go,

00:34all right, that must be because she was a witch.

00:37This former chimney sweep wasn't a witch hunter by trade.

00:40He just moonlighted within this space when it came to the accusation and eventual murder of Ruth Osborne.

00:44The latter's only crime was allegedly running afoul of a local dairy farmer,

00:48who refused Osborne buttermilk when she came begging at his door.

00:51This farmer named Butterfield soon fell ill alongside his dairy calves,

00:55and rumors quickly began to spread of occult influences instituting these illnesses.

00:59This is where Thomas Colley comes in.

01:01Since it was this aforementioned chimney sweep who led the mob and participated actively in drowning Osborne,

01:07Colley was hanged for his crimes soon after his trial on July 30th, 1751.

01:11John Kincaid

01:12There were many devious ways by which those seeking out a living hunting witches could ply their trade.

01:17Witch pricker was the title given to those who used a special method to reveal witches within their community.

01:22In the 17th century, John Kincaid held this title within his native Scotland,

01:26utilizing specific tools that fooled communities into believing folk tales about supposed witches marks.

01:32Kincaid would take a bodkin or needle with a retractable point,

01:35which enabled him to control which of his victims could be proven innocent,

01:38and which could be designated in league with the devil.

01:40He was ultimately found out, however, and spent time in jail before finally giving up his witch-finding ways.

01:45It was widely believed witches could raise storms, destroy livestock, drive people mad, or even kill them.

01:52Jindrik Frantyshek Boblik of Edelstadt

01:55The number of deaths attributed to the direct involvement of Jindrik Frantyshek Boblik of Edelstadt

02:11are said to be close to a hundred people, including two members of the clergy.

02:15These inquisitions occurred during the northern Moravia witch trials of 1622,

02:20a period which lasted over 70 years to 1696.

02:23It was further alleged that Boblik found witch-finding to be financially lucrative during this period,

02:28as the lawyer frequently hired out his services to wealthy clientele.

02:31Boblik was also firmly in the pro-torture camp when it came to his methodology,

02:44with some accused witches, such as Dorota Davidová,

02:47dying in custody before his trial and sentence could be carried out.

02:50Christian Caldwell

02:57The world of witch-finding doesn't historically have too many stories of comeuppance or justice

03:09for those that took advantage of this hysteria.

03:11This is why the story of Christian Caldwell is so interesting.

03:14For starters, she disguised herself as a man so she could carry out her duties as a Scottish witch-hunter.

03:19However, she eventually accused the wrong person during her exploits,

03:22a royal associate with friends in high places.

03:24This associate, named John Hay, had Caldwell arrested,

03:27and it was here where her gender-swap ruse was uncovered.

03:30She was banished to an area of Barbados beset by fever and disease for her punishment.

03:34A big way for the accused! Move!

03:40Helen Ukpabio

03:42This mother of three presides over a church with 150 branches.

03:47She's also written a popular book, in which she advises how parents can identify a witch.

03:53We often think of this business of witch-finding as being something of the past,

03:56but this is sadly not the case.

03:57Helen Ukpabio has been preaching her own personal gospel of biblical literalism in Nigeria since 1992.

04:03during which she's accused countless children of witchcraft.

04:07Ukpabio's organization, the Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries,

04:11has unfortunately grown in power and influence since then,

04:14although not without worldwide media scrutiny.

04:16Mrs. Ukpabio denied that her teachings and films could encourage child abuse.

04:21In this, our ministry, we have about 150 churches in Nigeria.

04:26This organization has spread the dangerous belief that children can serve as vessels for witchcraft spirits,

04:31which has resulted in increased rates of abuse and ostracization.

04:35Helen Ukpabio's ministry is still active at the time of this writing.

04:39The boy said that, the woman said that it is witch.

04:42Alonso de Salazar Frias.

04:43Reason thankfully ruled within the head of Alonso de Salazar Frias,

04:59a lawyer and inquisitor who abstained from the usual paranoia and hysterics associated with witch trials.

05:05Instead, Frias became known as the witch's advocate,

05:07since he actively worked against the execution and torture of the accused who stood before his court.

05:12His work during the Spanish Inquisition was rooted in reason,

05:15of conducting grounded interviews which greatly reduced the number of forced or coerced confessions.

05:19At first, it was those on the fringes of the community who were named.

05:24But mountain paranoia meant that soon no one was safe.

05:27This isn't to say that nobody died on account of Frias' ruling,

05:31since one witch who allegedly campaigned for the occult was burned at the stake under his watch.

05:36Jaune Malette

05:37It takes one to know one might have been the motto of Jaune Malette,

05:40a 16th century man who escaped a violent home life to supposedly shack up with a real-life witch.

05:45It was here where Malette allegedly learned the dark arts,

05:48utilizing this knowledge to aid his new career as a part-time witch hunter.

05:52Malette apparently needed little but his own word to successfully prosecute dozens of women in the Catalan region during the 16th century.

05:59News of these hangings and illegal burnings soon reached the actual Spanish Inquisition, however,

06:04and Malette was put on trial.

06:06He was eventually executed by the Inquisition in Barcelona on July 2nd, 1549.

06:11John Stern

06:11Who are they that have been against the prosecutions?

06:16They are allied with the enemies of God.

06:18I dare not list them.

06:19It wasn't uncommon for some witch hunters to have some help along the way,

06:23usually in the form of an assistant or a witch pricker.

06:25In the 17th century, John Stern worked to these ends for Matthew Hopkins,

06:29which some sources claiming that the former proved to be a negative influence upon Hopkins as the Witchfinder General.

06:34This was seen primarily with regards to Sterns' willingness to lie in order to acquire confessions from his accused.

06:40He eventually retired from the business of witch finding

06:42and wrote a book that attempted to reframe his collaboration with Hopkins in a less devious light.

06:47Now, Matthew Hopkins, sir.

06:53Heinrich Kramer

06:54It's called Malleus Maleficarum, the Hammer of Witches.

07:00It was known as the Malleus Maleficarum, or the Hammer of Witches,

07:04and it served as ground zero for witch trial hysteria and cruelty.

07:07Heinrich Kramer was the author of this book, published in 1487,

07:10and which contained detailed descriptions of demonology that struck an imaginative chord within its readership.

07:16Kramer also proclaimed in the Malleus Maleficarum that the Catholic Church should actively prosecute

07:20those accused of sorcery or witchcraft.

07:23Meanwhile, his trials were controversial,

07:25specifically one against a woman named Helena Schuberin,

07:28who vehemently denounced Kramer's sermons and growing influence.

07:31Schuberin was ultimately acquitted and Kramer expelled

07:33for reportedly being obsessed with the woman's personal independence and sexuality.

07:38It's extremely striking that most of the accusers came from one side of the factional dispute

07:45and most of the accused from the other side.

07:47Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel

07:50and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.

07:53You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.

07:57If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.

08:03Matthew Hopkins

08:04Remember John Stern, you ride with me only because you help me in my work.

08:08You call it work?

08:09It's the Lord's work.

08:11The genre of witch hunter pictures isn't exactly a big one,

08:14but Witchfinder General from 1968 is one of the most famous and successful examples of folk horror.

08:20Genre icon Vincent Price portrays the real-life Matthew Hopkins,

08:23a self-styled Witchfinder General, who was unfortunately quite successful at his job.

08:28If she is a witch, the water will reject her and she will float.

08:32If that is the case, she will be handed over to the magistrates, put on trial and, in all likelihood, hanged.

08:40It's been alleged that Hopkins and his assistant, John Stern, were responsible for the deaths

08:43of approximately 300 women during the course of their careers.

08:47His legend today is almost akin to that of a slasher villain,

08:50a harrowing figure with dubious morals and a revealing desire for notoriety and financial gain.

08:55There were more witches out there for Hopkins to hunt down.

08:58What are some examples of modern-era witch hunts? Let us know in the comments.

09:03They commanded their spirits, some to kill a man's horse, some to lame a cow, lame a child.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended