Edexcel A-Level History 9HI0
The Crusades, c1095–1204Paper 1
England, 1509–1603: Authority, Nation and ReligionPaper 1
Britain, 1625–1701: Conflict, Revolution and SettlementPaper 1
Britain, c1785–c1870: Democracy, Protest and ReformPaper 1
Russia, 1917–91: From Lenin to YeltsinPaper 1
In Search of the American Dream: The USA, c1917–96Paper 1
Germany and West Germany, 1918–89Paper 1
Britain Transformed, 1918–97Paper 1
Anglo-Saxon England and the Anglo-Norman Kingdom, c1053–1106Paper 2
England and the Angevin Empire in the Reign of Henry II, 1154–89Paper 2
Luther and the German Reformation, c1515–55Paper 2
The Dutch Revolt, c1563–1609Paper 2
France in Revolution, 1774–99Paper 2
Russia in Revolution, 1894–1924Paper 2
The Unification of Italy, c1830–70Paper 2
The Unification of Germany, c1840–71Paper 2
Mao’s China, 1949–76Paper 2
The German Democratic Republic, 1949–90Paper 2
India, c1914–48: The Road to IndependencePaper 2
South Africa, 1948–94: From Apartheid State to ‘Rainbow Nation’Paper 2
The Rise and Fall of Fascism in Italy, c1911–46Paper 2
Spain, 1930–78: Republicanism, Francoism and the Re-Establishment of DemocracyPaper 2
The USA, c1920–55: Boom, Bust and RecoveryPaper 2
The USA, 1955–92: Conformity and ChallengePaper 2
Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII, 1399–1509Paper 3
Rebellion and Disorder Under the Tudors, 1485–1603Paper 3
The Golden Age of Spain, 1474–1598Paper 3
The Witch Craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750Paper 3
Industrialisation and Social Change in Britain, 1759–1928: Forging a New SocietyPaper 3
Poverty, Public Health and the State in Britain, c1780–1939Paper 3
Britain: Losing and Gaining an Empire, 1763–1914Paper 3
The British Experience of Warfare, c1790–1918Paper 3
Protest, Agitation and Parliamentary Reform in Britain, c1780–1928Paper 3
Ireland and the Union, c1774–1923Paper 3
The Changing Nature of Warfare, 1859–1991: Perception and RealityPaper 3
Germany, 1871–1990: United, Divided and ReunitedPaper 3
The Making of Modern Russia, 1855–1991Paper 3
The Making of Modern China, 1860–1997Paper 3
Civil Rights and Race Relations in the USA, 1850–2009Paper 3
Mass Media and Social Change in Britain, 1882–2004Paper 3
The Witch Craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750
The existence and growth of scepticism, c1580–c1750
- 3 things to know
- Paper 3
Overview
Recall questions on what scepticism actually meant, the Boy of Bilson and other exposed frauds, spectral evidence, Jane Wenham, and why judges stopped convicting.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
What is meant by scepticism about witchcraft?
What was the case of Jane Wenham?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What growing scepticism about apparitions as evidence helped end trials?
Model answer
Doubt over spectral evidence.
- 2
What is meant by scepticism about witchcraft?
Model answer
Doubt not usually about whether the Devil existed, but about whether particular accusations could be proved and whether the courts' methods produced reliable evidence.
- 3
What happened to William Perry, the boy from Bilson?
Model answer
William Perry's fraudulent possession was exposed in 1620 by Bishop Morton, who tricked him into revealing his deception, and it became a standard example of imposture.
- 4
What was the Bury St Edmunds trial of 1662?
Model answer
A trial at which Sir Thomas Browne testified for the prosecution and two women were hanged; it was later cited both as precedent and as a warning.
- 5
What was the case of Jane Wenham?
Model answer
The last person condemned for witchcraft in England, in 1712; the judge secured her a pardon and the case provoked a pamphlet war that discredited prosecution.
- 6
Why did frauds damage the credibility of witchcraft prosecution?
Model answer
Every exposed imposture suggested that other accusations rested on the same mixture of malice, suggestion and attention-seeking.
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