The East Anglian witch hunt under Matthew Hopkins, self-appointed Witchfinder General, has garnered a great deal of popular and historical interest over the years. An image has developed of a zealous, misogynistic young man serving crazed 'justice' against supposed witches, whipping up panic and turning neighbours against each other in a haze of religious fervour. Though there is some truth to this image, there are important elements missing: namely, the identities and personalities of those accused and their accusers; and how individual communities were affected.

In this webinar, Tabitha Stanmore shares the findings of the recent, Leverhulme-funded Seven County Witch Hunt Project. This project sought to trace the lives of those accused of witchcraft, and return some of that history to their communities. The project dug beyond the stereotypes and assumptions that has built up around the witch hunt, and managed to dispel some myths along the way. Alongside giving a deeper look into how the witch hunt progressed, Tabitha will shares some new teaching resources (directed at A-level students, but adaptable for GCSE) to aid study of this topic.