About this episode

This episode discusses the high-profile witch trial in London and its implications on society and witchcraft perceptions.

Most people think that London escaped the witch trials but it did have one which was so high profile and gruesome, it may have stopped any other from occurring. In todays episode of Macabre London, we hear from returning guest and folklore expert - Dr Francis Young who tells us about the first recorded trial for witch craft and how things evolve over the ears to turn into the witch panic of the early modern period. We take a look at a royal scandal which resulted in many deaths to do with supposed witchcraft and how the punishments dished out were not equal for those involved. We learn how witchcraft was weaponised and how it became twisted and demonised by the church and how it became an offence punishable by death. Did the adoption of Christianity cause witchcraft to boom or was it a case of being used to get rid of marginalised peole in society with a dash of misogyny. All that and more on this weeks episode. *Episodes are available in hosted video format on YouTube* - https://www.youtube.com/@MacabreLondon So if you're interested in magick, the occult, historical beliefs, witchcraft and just how the religion we know today was developed and forged in the old fires, with the…

People in this episode

Host: Macabre London Podcast

Guest: Dr Francis Young

Topics covered

• witch trials
• historical beliefs
• royal scandal
• witchcraft
• Christianity
• misogyny

Keywords

• witchcraft
• witch trials
• Margery Jourdemayne
• royal scandal
• historical murders
• misogyny
• Christianity

Sponsors

Snag

More episodes of Macabre London

• How One Man Sentenced Hundreds of Women To Death - Matthew Hopkins: The Witchfinder General · June 24, 2026 · 25 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Macabre London podcast page.