During a 104-year period from 1626 to 1730, [1] there are documented Virginia Witch Trials, hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in Colonial Virginia. [2][3] More than two dozen people are documented having been accused, including two men.

Dec 13, 2015 · Here’s a brief look at a few of the most notorious witches in the state… 1. 1626: Joan Wright. "Goodwife" Joan Wright, as she was known, was a midwife in Surry County and the first person in any of the colonies to be legally accused of witchcraft.

May 3, 2024 · Witchcraft was a genuine concern for colonial Virginians. The colony’s English settlers brought with them a strong belief in the devil’s power and his presence in the New World. This belief was first manifested in the Jamestown colonists’ early perceptions of the Virginia Indians, whom they believed to be devil worshippers.

Oct 25, 2023 · The accused witches of Salem, in what was then the Province of Massachusettes Bay, are the country’s most famous purported practitioners of the dark arts, but Virginia had its own experiences with witchcraft trials.

Aug 15, 2017 · Witches in Virginia & The Virginia Witch Hunts. The most famous witch trials occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 when a group of young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil. These young girls started to have violent fits; they would scream and have uncontrollable outbursts.

Find a Coven in Virginia! Hail and welcome Witches, Pagans, Wiccans and Heathens! Looking for a Coven or Spiritual Group in your area, this is the Mandragora Magika home page for Virginia!

Oct 26, 2017 · The most infamous and well documented witchcraft trial in Virginia is that of Grace Sherwood of Princess Anne County, accused multiple times of being a witch by her neighbors. In 1697, one of Sherwood’s neighbors, Richard Capps, began telling people she was a witch, leading Grace and her husband to sue Capps in February 1698 for defamation.

In September of 1626, Joan Wright of lower James City County (now Surry County), was accused of witchcraft and brought before the General Court at Jamestown to be examined. The governor, Sir George Yeardley, presided as chief justice to determine if the accusations were true.

Historical research on witchcraft accusations in 17th century colonial Virginia. Focusing on Joan Wright and Grace Sherwood as well as the laws in Virginia.

The most famous witchcraft case to come from colonial Virginia was Grace Sherwood. Grace lived in Princess Anne county and was accused in 1698 of bewitching neighbors' pigs and cotton. While Grace and her husband brought suits against their neighbors, they did not win.