In the late 16th century, Europe was gripped by a ferocious witch hunt. Thousands were tortured and burned at the stake for their alleged witchcraft. The church played a significant role in this terrifying crusade against the imaginary enemies of Christianity. In France and Germany alone, up to 40,000 people may have been killed as witches. However, England and Scotland were almost untouched by witch persecutions until King James himself decided to launch his own personal war on witchcraft.
In 1597, King James VI of Scotland published "Daemonology," a handbook on how to recognize and destroy witches. The book explored the threat that "those Detestable slaves of the Devil" posed to James himself. It fuelled waves of witch hunting throughout Britain.
The legacy of King James' "Daemonology" continued throughout the 17th century, leading to the torture and execution of hundreds of women in a series of infamous witch trials. No-one knows exactly how many men and women died in these trials, such as the Pendle trial of 1612, or how many others were killed in cases that never came to court.
The documentary reveals that the purges in many areas of Britain drew directly on King James' book. Also for the first time, remarkable new archaeological evidence from Cornwall suggests that witchcraft was actively practiced for centuries, even during the most intense periods of witch-hunting. Experimental archaeologist Jacqui Wood has excavated strange pits lined with swan's feathers, and filled with animal skins and human remains. She believes the pits were ritual offerings inspired by witchcraft beliefs.
