Matthew Hopkins

Long ago, a man named Matthew Hopkins lived in England.

He thought he could find witches.

He traveled to many towns. He worked with a man named John Stearne. They looked for people to punish.

They used unfair ways to find people. They did not let people sleep. They also used water tests. This was very hard on people.

Many people were treated unfairly. This caused much sadness in the land. Some leaders tried to stop them.

Soon, the men stopped their work. They lived in different towns. It was a very dark time.

Matthew Hopkins was a man in England. He lived during the English Civil War.

He claimed to be a "Witchfinder General." He worked with a man named John Stearne. They traveled through many towns in East Anglia.

Hopkins and Stearne were very active. They sent more people to be hanged than other hunters. They did this between 1644 and 1647. Hopkins wrote a book called *The Discovery of Witches*.

In his book, he shared his ideas.

They used many harsh ways to find witches. They used sleep deprivation. This means they did not let people sleep. They also used a swimming test. They tied people to chairs and threw them in water. If a person floated, they were called a witch. They also looked for a "Devil's mark." They used needles to prick the skin to find these marks.

Some people tried to stop them. A man named John Gaule spoke out against them. He gave sermons to stop the hunting. Later, judges asked Hopkins about his unfair methods. By 1647, Hopkins and Stearne retired from their work.

Matthew Hopkins was a man who lived in England during the 1640s. He became famous for hunting people he believed were witches.

He worked during the English Civil War, a time of great change. Hopkins claimed to hold the title of Witchfinder General. However, the Parliament in England never actually gave him that official title. He was the son of a Puritan minister named James Hopkins. His family lived in a place called Great Wenham in Suffolk. Hopkins was likely born between 1619 and 1639.

His work as a witch-finder began in March 1644. He often traveled with a partner named John Stearne. They moved through many towns in the East Anglia region. This area included counties like Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. They claimed to have permission from Parliament to find witches. Hopkins and Stearne were very successful at their jobs. They sent more people to be hanged than all other hunters in the previous 160 years. They were responsible for many more trials during those few years.

To find witches, Hopkins used several specific and harsh methods. He often used sleep deprivation to make people confess things. This meant he would keep people awake for many days and nights.

He also used a test called swimming. People were tied to chairs and thrown into the water. If they floated, it was believed they were witches. He also looked for what people called the "Devil's mark." This was a spot on the skin that was thought not to feel pain. Helpers called "witch prickers" used needles to find these marks.

Hopkins wrote a book in 1647 called *The Discovery of Witches*. In this book, he explained his ideas and methods. He took many of his ideas from a book by King James I. His work was quite expensive for the towns he visited. In 1645, the town of Ipswich even had to create a special tax. This tax helped pay for the costs of his group. Some people in Parliament were worried about his methods. They feared he was using unfair ways to get confessions from people.

Not everyone thought Hopkins was doing the right thing. A man named John Gaule spoke out against the hunts. He was a vicar who gave sermons to try to stop them. Other judges also questioned Hopkins about his harsh ways of investigating. They even asked if his methods made him a witch himself. By 1647, Hopkins and Stearne retired from their work. Hopkins moved back to a town called Manningtree. His methods were later written in law books used by others.

Matthew Hopkins was an English man active during the 1640s. He became a prominent figure during the English Civil War. Hopkins claimed to hold the title of Witchfinder General. However, the Parliament of England never actually gave him this official office. He was the son of a Puritan minister named James Hopkins. His family lived in Great Wenham, which is in Suffolk. Based on family records, Hopkins was likely born between 1619 and 1639.

His career as a witch-finder began in March 1644. He often worked alongside a colleague named John Stearne. They focused their activities in the East Anglia region. This area included counties such as Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and Huntingdonshire. They also worked in parts of Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire. Hopkins and Stearne claimed to be officially commissioned by Parliament. They traveled with assistants to uncover and prosecute people they believed were witches. Their work was very profitable for them. Hopkins stated that his fees helped maintain his company of three horses. He also charged twenty shillings per town visited.

The goal of their investigations was specific. They did not always try to prove that people committed acts of harm. Instead, they sought to prove a covenant with the Devil. At that time, witchcraft was seen as a form of heresy. This meant it was a crime against Christianity. In legal terms, it was often treated as *crimen exceptum*. This term describes a crime so serious that normal legal procedures were set aside. Because the Devil would not confess, hunters believed they had to force a confession from the human involved.

Hopkins used several harsh methods to find evidence. He drew inspiration from a book called *Daemonologie* by King James I. Although torture was technically unlawful in England, Hopkins used sleep deprivation. He would keep suspects awake for many days and nights to extract confessions. One woman, Elizabeth Clarke, reportedly confessed after three days and nights of "watching."

Other methods included the "swimming test." Suspects were tied to chairs and thrown into water. It was believed that water would reject a witch, causing them to float. This test was eventually abandoned by the end of 1645. Hopkins also searched for the "Devil's mark." This was a spot on the body thought to be numb to pain. He employed "witch prickers" to find these marks. These assistants would prick the skin with needles, often after shaving the suspect's body hair. They believed a witch's familiar animal would drink blood from these marks.

The impact of Hopkins and Stearne was massive. They sent more people to be hanged than all other English witch-hunters from the previous 160 years. Their campaign resulted in the execution of several hundred people. In Essex, for example, there were no executions for witchcraft between 1626 and 1645. Their work caused significant financial strain on local communities. In 1645, the town of Ipswich had to create a special tax to pay for them. Some reports reached Parliament expressing concern. People feared that hunters were using "ill Arts" to extort confessions.

Not everyone agreed with these methods. A vicar named John Gaule became a major opponent. He wrote a book called *Select Cases of Conscience touching Witches and Witchcrafts*. He also gave Sunday sermons to try to stop the hunts. In Norfolk, judges questioned Hopkins about his use of torture and his high fees. They even asked if his methods made him a witch himself. By 1647, Hopkins and Stearne retired from their work. Hopkins moved to Manningtree, and Stearne moved to Bury St Edmunds. Hopkins published his findings in a book called *The Discovery of Witches* in 1647. These methods were later included in various law books.