Uncovering Newcastle's dark history: the witch trials

In the year 1650, Newcastle entered a haunting chapter steeped in tension, led by Mayor George Dawson and Sheriff John Lodge. This era was marked by superstitions intertwined with witchcraft, with the entire nation caught up in pervasive dread and faith during a time of persecution and execution of accused witches.

A petition, dated March 26th, 1649, was documented in Newcastle's common-council records, presumably signed by the town's residents. This petition earnestly requested the apprehension and subsequent trial of individuals suspected of practicing witchcraft.

In response to this plea, a Witch-Tryer was summoned from Scotland, claiming to possess the knowledge necessary to identify witches. This mysterious figure conducted public examinations of those accused of witchcraft within the confines of the town hall.

The method employed to scrutinize the suspected witches was nothing short of shocking. The Whitelock’s Memorial reveals that these accused individuals were openly stripped, with the witch-tryer "taking a pin and thrusting it into the skin in various parts of their bodies." If they were insensible to this, it was used as proof against them.

As a result of these harrowing witch trials, numerous women were declared guilty and subsequently summoned to face trial at the assizes. Among them, one wizard and fourteen reputed witches hailing from Newcastle met their tragic fate with execution on the Town Moor near Newcastle upon Tyne on that fateful day of August 21st, 1650.

The information employed in this article provides us with a glimpse into the ominous chapter of Newcastle's history. It is sourced from the 1789 publication by the British antiquary, topographer, educator, and curator John Brand, titled 'The History and Antiquities of the Town and Country of the Town of Newcastle Upon Tyne.'