Caught in a Lie: the Case of Anne Gunter

What happens when someone claiming to be bewitched admits that it was all a lie? What also happens when that confession is made directly to a King? In this episode, Kenyon looks into a case of witchcraft accusations gone wrong. In a tale of feuding neighbors, feigned curses, and parental abuse, we follow the story of Anne Gunter, whose claims nearly brought three local women to the gallows. Instead, confessions of fictitious allegations turned this case of witchcraft into one of alarming manipulation and physical torment. How did this young woman end up making such damning claims against her neighbors? And why was her father so invested in winning this case that he appealed to the King of England himself?

Sources:

Megan Benson, “Anne Gunter,” in A Biographical Encyclopedia of Early Modern Englishwomen: Exemplary Lives and Memorable Acts, 1500-1650, edited by Carole Levin, Anna Riehl Bertolet, and Jo Eldridge Carney (2016).

James Sharpe, The Bewitching of Anne Gunter (Routledge, 2000).

Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne

Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer

Additional featured music

By Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/:

“Vanishing”

“Morgana Rides”

“SCP-x1x”

“Interloper”

“Heavy Heart”

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