Witch of Edmonton, England
Elisabeth Sawyer, a Poor Elderly Woman, Executed for Witchcraft
During the Jacobean Era, witch persecutions were common. Minister interrogated Sawyer and wrote an account. Three men collaborated writing a play based on this.
Henry Goodcole, chaplain of Newgate Prison, wrote his account of examining Mother Sawyer to prove she practiced witchcraft. Based on his account, three of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, John Ford, William Rowley and Thomas Dekker wrote a sympathetic play about this Englishwoman who was hanged for practicing witchcraft in 1621.
Jacobean Era and Witch Persecution
This period refers to the historical time in English and Scottish history during the reign of King James I, 1603 to 1625. James is a derivative of Jacob, the Hebrew name, Jacob, the original form of this King’s name.
Prior to being crowned King of England, he was King James VI of Scotland from 1585 to 1603. He had a very prominent role in the North Berwick Witches' Persecution and was known for his abhorrence of witches which continued during his English reign.
Elizabeth Sawyer
The Witch of Edmonton was an unfortunate woman who became the scapegoat of the locals who claimed she was a witch. They claimed she put spells on their children and cattle because they refused to buy her brooms. At that time, many of those accused of practicing witchcraft were beggars and peddlers who argued with the people when they refused to buy their wares. Accusers claimed curses followed verbal altercations.
According to her husband, Agnes Radcliffe hit one of Sawyer’s pigs because the animal ate some of her soap. Sawyer bewitched her. That night, Radcliffe became very sick, foamed at the mouth, then died.
The Arrest and Trial
Sawyer was jailed in Newgate Prison and interrogated by the Reverend Goodcole who was determined to prove her to be a witch. He was relentless in his persecution until she confessed.
She “admitted” that the devil appeared to her as a black dog who demanded her soul and body. She acquiesced. The pact was sealed when she allowed the beast to drink her blood. The dog visited her from time to time, but deserted her when she was in prison.
Three women, at the trial claimed they examined Sawyer’s body and saw a witch’s mark, a sign the devil made on her body. Sawyer was deformed and suffered from depression which made her an undesirable, therefore an easy target to be accused of witchcraft. Goodcole maintained Sawyer put spells on people out of malice and jealously.
Execution and Aftermath
The Witch of Edmonton was executed on April 19, 1621 at Tyburn. It is interesting that her neighbors who accused her of being in league with the devil were also suspected of this, but weren’t persecuted as she was.
Goodcole wrote the account of his torture of this hapless woman several days after her execution. Ford, Rowley and Dekker collaborated on a play shortly thereafter.
In the play, Elizabeth Sawyer is an old woman ostracized by her neighbors. She sells her soul to the Devil, who appears to her as a black dog, Tom, who can talk. The moral of the play is how the devil tries to get people to sell their souls, but only Sawyer succumbs. The play was originally staged in 1621.
Related articles:
Sources:
The Dark World of Witches, Eric Maple, (Castle Books, 1964)
The Encyclopedia of Witches & Witchcraft, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, (Facts on File, Inc., 1999)
