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WITCHCRAFT Witchcraft was widespread in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and Jersey was no exception. Perhaps as a reaction to the fervent spread of Catholicism and then Calvinism, those who were reluctant to give up their pagan symbols were forced to become secretive about their beliefs. |
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Pagan gods, who formed no part of the Christian faith were therefore regarded and worshipped as devils. There was such a fear of these devil worshipers that for the well-being of the community it was considered important to seek out and destroy these evil people. |
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In Jersey, disputes were settled by 'The Judgement of God' and trials were by Cross, Water and Fire. In the first, the litigants were made to stand in a position resembling the cross, with their arms outstretched. Whoever stayed in this position the longest must have right on their side because, as we all know, God looks after his own. The second trial - by water - really does fall into the category of cruel and devious. A heavy weight was placed at the bottom of a cauldron of water, which was then brought to boiling point. The accused was made to plunge their hand in the cauldron to retrieve the weight and then carry it for a distance of nine feet. Their hand was then wrapped and sealed and had to remain like this for 3 nights. If, after this time, the hand was healthy, he would be judged to be innocent. If it showed signs of scalding, then it proved his guilt. The trial by fire was the same, except that here the accused had to carry a red hot iron for nine feet before having his hand bandaged .
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It's ironic that superstitions began to abound during the time of these witch trials. To guard against evil it was common for crosses to be engraved around any possible entry point into houses - doors, windows and chimneys. |
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An acorn carried in the pocket was also thought to guard against evil and an acorn design was widely incorporated into the stonework and entrances of old buildings. A little story I remember being told in my childhood is that the stones jutting out of granite chimneys on the roofs of old houses were put there as a resting place for witches flying over the island - the idea being that the evil woman would then leave the inhabitants of the house untouched. In fact these 'witches stones' as they are known were simply built into chimneys to prevent rain water seeping under old thatched roofs. Despite all the efforts to rid the island of witchcraft I know that as recently as 20 years ago I was still hearing stories of islanders who could cast a spell, cure an illness or clear a hex. I don't doubt that they still exist today. To read a little more about witchcraft legends in the island, visit here.UPDATE It's very interesting to find that even in our sophisticated modern world, witchcraft clearly is still playing a part of our daily lives. In October of 2000 our local newspaper reported that several water supplies in the island had been contaminated with mercury - and witchcraft was cited as one probable cause. |
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