Wookey Hole and the Real Witch Trials

At this time, fear of witchcraft was at its peak, fueled by England’s Protestant Reformation and the writings of King James I. His book, Daemonologie, spread tales of witchery far and wide, leading villagers across the land to turn on one another. Fear transformed small grievances into accusations of sorcery, and any woman deemed “strange” or “unknowable” could quickly become the next witch on trial.

The village turned to Bartholomew Butterfingers, a young and inexperienced man with little sense for danger but eager to prove himself as a witch finder. Bartholomew was neither well-respected nor skilled, and his methods of “testing” for witches were as laughable as they were deadly. Nevertheless, he was tasked with trying Morgana and Elspeth—women who would soon become feared even in death.