Episode 180 - The History of The Connecticut Witch Trials
From Lunatics Radio Hour: The History of Horror by The Lunatics Project
March 3, 2026 · 59 min · Season 1 · Episode 221
About this episode
This episode explores the Connecticut Witch Trials and their historical context before the Salem Witch Trials.
Before Salem, there was Connecticut. In this episode of Lunatics Radio Hour, Abby Brenker sits down with historian Josh Hutchinson to explore the Connecticut Witch Trials, which spanned 1647 to 1697 and led to 11 executions decades before the events in Salem. They discuss the Puritan beliefs and English laws that shaped colonial prosecutions, the role of coerced confessions and spectral evidence, and the social instability that fueled accusations. The episode examines cases including Alse (Al...
People in this episode
Host: Abby Brenker
Guest: Josh Hutchinson
Topics covered
- Connecticut Witch Trials
- Puritan beliefs
- colonial prosecutions
- coerced confessions
- spectral evidence
- social instability
- historical executions
Keywords
- Connecticut Witch Trials
- Josh Hutchinson
- Puritan beliefs
- spectral evidence
- historical executions
- colonial prosecutions
- coerced confessions
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Connecticut, Salem
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