Meet Marie Esnouf: Accused of Witchcraft

As a rector's granddaughter, one might expect Marie to be above suspicion. However, during the tumultuous period of the 17th century, when fear and superstition ran high, her fate was sealed when parishioners accused her of practicing witchcraft.

In a time when unexplained events or illness could be blamed on witchcraft, even someone with family connections like Marie wasn’t immune. While many of the trials mention criminal behaviour, we now think that people could have been accused of witchcraft for other reasons: for being different, for knowledge of herbs, or for simply not conforming to societal expectations.