I met someone who has a theory that the New England witchcraft trials were started by Matthew Hopkins, former "Witchfinder General" in England. She thinks he had a relative in NE and faked his own death in 1647, conveniently in the middle of a court session investigating his methods, to emigrate. The NE witchcraft trials began in 1648, and she thinks it was more than Hopkins' book that lead to the adoption of his methods in America too.
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2014-01-13 10:16 pm (UTC)