In this episode, we look at the bizarre case of the woman mistakenly remembered as the first witch executed in England. The story of Agnes Waterhouse features peculiar accusations, including a possessed cat who could turn into a toad, and a horned dog who threatened a young girl's life. In what was presented at the time as an entertaining and macabre story for the masses across England, at its heart we see the story of a woman offering her own life in order to try and save the life of her daughter.

Sources:

Anon., “The Examination and confession of certaine wytches at Chensforde in the countie of Essex : before the Quenes Maiesties judges, the xxvi daye of July, anno 1566, at the assise holden there as then, and one of them put to death for the same offence, as their examination declareth more at large” EEBO Lambeth Palace Library records.

Barbara Rosen, ed. Witchcraft, “English witchcraft statutes of 1542, 1563, and 1604.”

Marion Gibson, “The Trial of Agnes Waterhouse - Witchcraft in Essex, 1566” Essex Record Office blog (July 29, 2021).

Lois Martin, A Brief History of Witchcraft (Running Press, 2010).

Hugh Willmott, “The dissolution of the monasteries: mindless violence or planned precision?” History Extra ( Feb 1, 2021).

“Chelmsford: Memorial of first witchcraft execution considered,” BBC (February 24, 2022).

Rosemary Ellen Guiley, “Chelmsford Witches,” in The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft, and Wicca (2008): pp. 58-60.

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:

“Lord of the Land”

“Stay the Course”

“Night of Chaos”

“Evening of Chaos”

“Mesmerize”

All by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Outcasts of the Earth is taking a brief holiday break this week, but your host, Kenyon, will be back in two weeks with a new episode on the history of witchcraft. I took the opportunity this week to (re)introduce myself to any new listeners who may be tuning in since season one. Happy holidays to everyone who listens, and here's to a good start to 2026! Please let this new year be kind to us all... Take care, everybody!

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

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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

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This week, we explore the first large-scale witch hunt in European history. Occurring in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, the Valais Witch Trials led to the execution of 376 people, the majority of which were men. Tune in to hear how a coordinated effort to eliminate heretical sects in the region turned into a widespread hunt for witches accused flying through the night to plan their devilish deeds. This episode looks at the origins and deadly legacy of this witch hunt, as well as what separates the events that occurred in Valais from other witch hunts that followed.

Sources:

Hans Peter Broedel, “Fifteenth-century witch beliefs”/ in Brian P. Levack (ed.), The Oxford handbook of witchcraft in early modern Europe and colonial America, Oxford University Press, 2013.

Phil Carradice, Witches and Witch Hunts Through the Ages (Pen & Sword Books, 2024).

B.F. Cotterill, The Witch Hunts. In: Are Children Reliable Witnesses? (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022).

Richard Kieckhefer, "Mythologies of Witchcraft in the Fifteenth Century," Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 1, no. 1 (2006): 79-108.

Lois Martin, A Brief History of Witchcraft (Running Press, 2010).

P. G. Maxwell-Stuart, Witch Beliefs and Witch Trials in the Middle Ages : Documents and Readings, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011.

Kathrin Utz Tremp, The Heresy of Witchcraft in Western Switzerland and Dauphiné (Fifteenth Century) in Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, Vol. 6, No. 1 (2011): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1353/mrw.2011.0008

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:

The following songs are all by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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

“Dragon and Toast”

“Ossuary 2 - Turn”

“The Other Side of the Door”

“Dark Standoff”

“Political Ad”

“Darkest Child”

“Ghost Processional”

“Morgana Rides”

“Thunder Dreams”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode dives into the history behind one of the most significant texts in the history of the early modern witch hunts that took hold across several European countries, the Malleus Maleficarum. This consequential text defined what constituted a witch, the depravity of witches and their practices, and ultimately served as a guide through the legal processes one would need to pursue in order to secure a conviction and an execution of such a witch. This book retains one of the bloodiest legacies in history. Take a listen to learn where it came from, and what effect it had on the expansive waves of witch hunts in early modern European history.

Sources:

Pope Innocent VIII, Summis desiderantes affectibus (December 5, 1484), from George L. Burr, ed., The Witch-Persecutions Vol. 3, No. 4 (1896).

Heinrich Kraemer, Malleus Maleficarum, English translation by Rev. Montague Summers (1928).

Reginald Scot, The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), republished by Dover Publications, 1972.

—

Arran Birks, “The ‘Hammer of Witches’: An Earthquake in the Early Witch Craze,” The Historian (January 24, 2020).

Hans Peter Broedel, “The Malleus Maleficarum and the Construction of Witchcraft: Theology and Popular Belief,” in Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe, edited by Merry E. Wiesner (2007).

Joni Creed, “King James VI and I: Witch-Hunter and Protector of the Realm,” MA Thesis (2020).

Maral Deyrmenjian, “Pope Innocent VIII (1484-1492) and the Summis desiderantes affectibus” (2020).

Vera Hoorens, Hans Renders, “Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and Witchcraft: A Reappraisal,” The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 43, No. 1 (Spring 2012): 3-18.

Lois Martin, A Brief History of Witchcraft (Running Press, 2010).

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):

"SCP-x1x"

"Satiate Percussion"

"Metaphysik"

"Crowd Hammer"

"Danse of Questionable Tuning"

"Heavy Heart"

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This episode explores a familiar, oft-repeated tale of the ill-fated love shared between the lowly Agnes Bernaur and noble Albrecht, the future Duke of Bavaria. In a story that has come to shape the history and lore of the German city of Augsburg, we will see how a love shared between people from different worlds is ripped apart as Albrecht’s father took extreme measures to keep the two apart by accusing Agnes of being a witch.

Sources:

Anna Bond, “A Study of Agnes Bernauer,” Master’s Thesis, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1906).

Henry Garland and Mary Garland, eds., The Oxford Companion to German Literature, third edition (Oxford University Press, 1997).

P.G. Maxwell-Stuart, Witch Beliefs and Witch Trials in the Middle Ages: Documents and Readings (2011).

Ritchie Robertson, “Hebbel: Agnes Bernaur (1852),” German Political Tragedy (2024).

Lyndal Roper, The Witch in the Western Imagination, University of Virginia Press (2012).

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:

“Virtutes Instrumenti,” “Mourning Song,” and “Night Vigil” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

“Space Ambient SiFi,” Lexin_Music

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In this episode, we are covering the tragic story of Petronilla de Meath, a widower, a single mother, and working class woman who is largely remembered for being the first "witch" to be burned at the stake in Europe. In unpacking this story, we see how a power struggle that broke out between the rich and powerful in a medieval Irish town led to one woman taking the fall and suffering a horrific fate.

Sources:

Service of remembrance for Petronilla of Meath held at St. Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny (November 3, 2024). Speech delivered by Andrew McGuinnes, Mayor of Kilkenny. Shared by the Kilkenny Archaeological Society on December 7, 2024.

L.S. Davidson and J.O. Ward, eds., The Sorcery and Trial of Alice Kyteler (Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies, 1993).

Nalina Eggert, “The Irish Woman Executed for Witchcraft 700 Years Ago,” BBC News (October 30, 2024).

Lois Martin, A Brief History of Witchcraft (Running Press, 2010).

Bernadette Williams, “The Sorcery and Trial of Alice Kyteler,” History Ireland Vol 2., No. 4 (Winter, 1994): 20-24.

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:

“Long Note Three,” and “Virtutes Instrumenti,” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The history of witchcraft is a sordid tale that plagued and brought pure torment to a countless number of lives. With thousands upon thousands losing their lives to this belief in sinister, supernatural powers - usually wielded by malevolent women - this history includes an untold number of stories involving one of the great outcasts of the past. In this inaugural episode of season two (!), we explore the origins of magic, how spellwork became tied to Satanic pacts, and why women, in particular, were the falls to be suspected of being a witch.

Sources:

Owen Davies, ed. The Oxford History of Witchcraft and Magic (2023).

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 music by Kevin MacLeod:

Special Harvest

The Pyre

Malicious

Intrepid

(incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.