Fuzzy Bus

The Suffolk region of England is full of nature beauty and scenic wonders. It has an interesting history and many important figures have had their origins in this area. While this is beautiful and peaceful region, it was also home to one of England’s most famous witch hunters, Mathew Hopkins. This aspect of history is now regulated to lore and legend, though it was once a fundamental aspect of the social belief system in England as well as throughout Europe. The Suffolk hotels are not likely to have witches and warlocks hiding in secret rooms, though haunted hotels are a very popular tourist attraction throughout the world.

It is believed that Hopkins held the title of Witch Finder General in his career that was most active during the English Civil War. He conducted his searches throughout Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. One of the interesting aspects of the witch trials and prosecutions that distinguished England from the rest of Europe is the fact that they did not burn accused witches, but only hung them. The height of his career lasted from 1645 to 1647 and while England did not legally allow torture to be used as a means of investigation, Hopkins was well known for his own special tactics used for confession.

One of the most famous aspects of his career is the book he wrote regarding witch hunting. The Discovery of Witches is believed to have been written in 1647 and quickly became a guiding tool for identifying both witches and their familiars. One of the methods he used for determining a witch was to cut a woman’s arm. He would use a blunt knife to make the rough incision and if the suspected woman didn’t bleed than it was taken as proof that she was a witch. Witches were also detected by finding what was known as the devil’s mark on her body. This would be any form of boil and sometimes moles and warts were included.

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