Case file · Witch trials
Florence Newton, the Witch of Youghal
In 1661 Florence Newton of Youghal, County Cork, was tried at Cork for bewitching a servant girl with a kiss and causing the death of a man. She probably died before a verdict.
1661 CE · 51.95, -7.85 · status: official
The account
The case, with its detailed testimony about fits and vomiting pins, is one of the best recorded Irish witch trials.
The sceptical view
The accusations came after a quarrel over a gift of beef; the 'fits' are typical of the possession accusations of the time.