Irish Witchcraft and DemonologySeymour, St. John D. (St. John Drelincourt)
History
Irish Witchcraft and Demonology
Seymour, St. John D. (St. John Drelincourt)
Demonology; Witchcraft -- Ireland
Unfortunately his Brother on the Bench was not so open-minded. Judge
Macartney, who is almost certainly the Counsel for the plaintiff in the
Lostin case, differed altogether from him, and thought that the jury might
well bring them in guilty. The twelve good men and true lost no time in
doing so, and, in accordance with the Statute, the prisoners were
sentenced to a year's imprisonment, and to stand in the pillory four times
during that period. It is said that when placed in this relic of barbarism
the unfortunate wretches were pelted by the mob with eggs and
cabbage-stalks to such an extent that one of them had an eye knocked out.
And thus ended the last trial for witchcraft in Ireland.
It is significant that witch-trials stopped in all three countries within
a decade of each other. The last condemnation in England occurred in 1712,
when a woman in Hertfordshire, Jane Wenham, was found guilty by a jury,
but was reprieved at the representation of the Judge; another trial
occurred in 1717, but the accused were acquitted. In Scotland the
Sheriff-depute of Sutherland passed sentence of death on a woman (though
apparently illegally) in 1722, who was consequently strangled and burnt.
Ashton indeed states (p. 192) that the last execution in Ireland occurred
at Glarus, when a servant was burnt as a witch in 1786. This would be
extremely interesting, were it not for the fact that it is utterly
incorrect. It is clear from what J. Français says that this happened at
Glaris _in Switzerland_, and was the last instance of judicial
condemnation and execution in Europe. We have drawn attention to this lest
it should mislead others, as it did us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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