EDEXCEL GCSE HISTORY · PAPER 1 · CRIME & PUNISHMENT
Exam Practice - Witchcraft
Witchcraft and the Witch-Hunts of 1645-47 · Chapter 2: Crime and punishment in early modern England, c1500-c1700 · Lesson 4 of 5 · 32 marks · 35 minutes
Name Date
Answer all questions. Use specific names, dates and examples in every answer.
Question 1 EXPLAIN ONE WAY [4 marks]
Explain one way in which the Witchcraft Act of 1563 was different from the Witchcraft Act of 1604.
Question 2 EXPLAIN WHY [12 marks]
Explain why there was an increase in accusations of witchcraft in the period c1500-c1700. You may use the following in your answer: the Witchcraft Act (1604); Matthew Hopkins. You must also use information of your own.
Question 3 HOW FAR DO YOU AGREE? [16 marks]
"The main reason for the witch-hunts of 1645-47 was the work of Matthew Hopkins." How far do you agree? Explain your answer. You may use the following in your answer: the Civil War; The Discovery of Witches (1647). You must also use information of your own. (16 marks, plus 4 for spelling, punctuation, grammar and specialist terminology)
Answers
Check your answer only once you have written one.
Question 1 [4 marks]
Under Elizabeth I's Witchcraft Act of 1563, a witch could only be sentenced to death if their witchcraft had caused someone's death; lesser harm was punished by the pillory and prison. James I's Witchcraft Act of 1604 was harsher: it made a first offence of invoking evil spirits punishable by death even if nobody had been harmed. So the difference is that the 1604 Act made it much easier to execute someone for witchcraft.
▸ A valid difference identified 1-2 marks
▸ Supported with specific knowledge of both Acts 3-4 marks
Question 2 [12 marks]
One reason was that the law made witchcraft a serious crime. Acts in 1542, 1563 and 1604 made witchcraft punishable by death, and James I's Act of 1604 allowed the death penalty for a first offence of invoking evil spirits even if nobody was harmed. James himself had written Daemonologie in 1597, so a strong belief in witches came from the very top. A second reason was the work of Matthew Hopkins in 1645-47. Calling himself the Witchfinder General, he and John Stearne travelled through East Anglia using methods such as keeping suspects awake and searching for the devil's mark, which produced confessions. Towns paid him fees, and more than 100 people were executed as a result. A third reason, beyond the stimulus, was the circumstances of the time. The Civil War disrupted normal government and the assize courts, Puritanism made people see the Devil everywhere, and bad harvests and poverty made neighbours look for someone to blame. Poor, elderly women who depended on charity were especially vulnerable to accusations when misfortune struck.
▸ Level 1 (1-3) A simple or general answer
▸ Level 2 (4-6) Some explanation of one or more reasons, with some knowledge
▸ Level 3 (7-9) A developed explanation linked to the question, with accurate knowledge
▸ Level 4 (10-12) An analytical explanation of several reasons, with knowledge that goes beyond the stimulus points
Question 3 [16 marks]
On the one hand, Hopkins played a central role. Calling himself the Witchfinder General, he and John Stearne actively sought out witches in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. His methods - sleep deprivation, searching for the devil's mark and the swimming test - produced confessions, and because towns paid him fees he had a reason to keep finding witches. More than 100 people were executed, far more than in any other English witch-hunt, and his pamphlet The Discovery of Witches spread his ideas. On the other hand, Hopkins could only succeed because of the circumstances. The Civil War disrupted normal government, so the regular assize courts were not held and local courts acted with less control. East Anglia was strongly Puritan and believed deeply in the Devil. War, bad harvests and disease left people frightened and looking for someone to blame. The law already made witchcraft a capital crime under the 1604 Act. Overall, Hopkins was the trigger, but the Civil War and the religious and economic situation were the underlying causes. Without the breakdown of normal authority his methods would probably have been stopped much sooner, which is what happened once critics such as John Gaule spoke out and the hunt collapsed by 1647.
▸ Level 1 (1-4) A simple or generalised answer
▸ Level 2 (5-8) Some analysis, with a judgement that is asserted
▸ Level 3 (9-12) Analysis of both sides with accurate knowledge and a supported judgement
▸ Level 4 (13-16) Sustained analysis, knowledge beyond the stimulus, and a clear, justified judgement
▸ SPaG (4) Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar, with specialist terms such as familiar and Puritan