Case file · Witch trials
Jane Wenham of Walkern
In 1712 Jane Wenham of Walkern, Hertfordshire, was convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to death, the last such conviction in an English court. The judge got her a royal pardon.
1712 CE · 51.92, -0.12 · status: official
The account
The judge, Sir John Powell, openly mocked the evidence, including the claim that she could fly. The case set off a pamphlet war between believers and sceptics.
The sceptical view
Her conviction showed the gap between educated judges and local juries.