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A review by tashabasha1
Witchfinders by Malcolm Gaskill
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.0
i've finally finished this book without DNFing it!
i quite enjoyed the historical context of the book, especially because it's on witchcraft. however, there are two main points as to why i gave this book three stars. firstly, i wish that if there was any context on john stearne it was included. granted this book was initially published in around 2005/2006, but i think a more up-to-date edition should be released with any context on john stearne and how he came to be a witch hunter with matthew hopkins. the other main thing was that i think that some bits were a bit irrelevant for the book.
the infodumping i promised when i hit 50%
the showcasing of men being accused of witchcraft
when witchcraft accusations were a thing in england, only 75-80% of the accused were women, leaving 20-25% being men. this was highlighted well in the book; i noticed gaskill mentioning alexander sussums, john bysack, payne and jonas cook among many others. this is also seen in marion gibson's book, witchcraft: a history in thirteen trials, where she mentions montague summers and john blymyer in two separate chapters.
how women were punished for witchcraft through drowning
although women being hung was a common punishment in england (contrary to popular belief, burning at the stake was a more mainland europe thing), they were also drowned in bodies of water in what gaskill calls 'the swimming test' on page 105. i haven't read the book yet but i think this is what hazel barkworth's book, the drownings, explores.
anti-witchcraft accusation attitudes
finally there were some people, to which gaskill does mention briefly in chapter 9 or 10, who hadn't believed in some people being accused of witchcraft. this is the case in jennifer sherman roberts' the village healer's book of cures, and i think sherman roberts does do a good job in highlighting these anti-accusation beliefs!
i quite enjoyed the historical context of the book, especially because it's on witchcraft. however, there are two main points as to why i gave this book three stars. firstly, i wish that if there was any context on john stearne it was included. granted this book was initially published in around 2005/2006, but i think a more up-to-date edition should be released with any context on john stearne and how he came to be a witch hunter with matthew hopkins. the other main thing was that i think that some bits were a bit irrelevant for the book.
the infodumping i promised when i hit 50%
the showcasing of men being accused of witchcraft
when witchcraft accusations were a thing in england, only 75-80% of the accused were women, leaving 20-25% being men. this was highlighted well in the book; i noticed gaskill mentioning alexander sussums, john bysack, payne and jonas cook among many others. this is also seen in marion gibson's book, witchcraft: a history in thirteen trials, where she mentions montague summers and john blymyer in two separate chapters.
how women were punished for witchcraft through drowning
although women being hung was a common punishment in england (contrary to popular belief, burning at the stake was a more mainland europe thing), they were also drowned in bodies of water in what gaskill calls 'the swimming test' on page 105. i haven't read the book yet but i think this is what hazel barkworth's book, the drownings, explores.
anti-witchcraft accusation attitudes
finally there were some people, to which gaskill does mention briefly in chapter 9 or 10, who hadn't believed in some people being accused of witchcraft. this is the case in jennifer sherman roberts' the village healer's book of cures, and i think sherman roberts does do a good job in highlighting these anti-accusation beliefs!